Sing Sweet Nightingale
by UndergroundValentine
Summary: Mermaids were known to be beautiful creatures, that was for sure. But they were also known to be blood-thirsty monsters, seducing their prey before devouring them. Drake is such a creature. And he's got eyes for a certain black haired, blue eyed beauty.
1. No Sanctuary From Your Allure

Little bit of background on this fic. One, it's a collab between me and Hiei, as always. Two, it's set in the 1700's roughly in the European/Asian/Mediterranean area. Not really specific but it's in that general area. There's graphic depictions of violence and explicit language and sexual content and none of this really matters because you read it without judgement anyway, :) So enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter One: No Sanctuary From Your Allure<strong>

**Sauli's POV**

The early evening streams of sunlight came streaking down like ribbons of gold through the blue waters of the ocean, the crisp taste of salt in the back of my throat as I swam. For normal people, the water would have stung their eyes, tickled their noses, scoured their throats for the salt and seaweed. But for me, it did none of these things. For me, I breathed in the life of this water like it was air, because technically it was air.

I sighed softly, crossing my arms on the dry stone that I rested on, the lower half of my body submerged in the salty waters around me. My eyes shifted and scanned across the shore, some dozen meters away from where I waded. The warmth of the sunlight kissed my shoulders and my dried hair, dying it a lighter blond than it already was by the moment. There weren't many people about, and even those that were could not see me. Whether by the light or by their own oblivious tendencies, I was merely another shadow to them.

I bit down on my bottom lip, cutting across the shore with my eyes to find two strapping young lads, looking no older than twenty-five in their appearance and build, skipping rocks out into the ocean. I smiled softly, taking in their dark hair and kind, unwavering smiles from a distance. Brothers, I could only suppose. I peered closer, dropping down behind the rock a little more, my shoulders being lapped at by the small waves.

Even though the distance was great, I could make out most details that normal people would not. A kind of sadness in the smaller boy's face as he stared out at the ocean, and the strong assurance in the taller boy's. Like he had some kind of creed to care for the other. Orphans, perhaps? It was possible. If they were, there would be no one to notice or, truly, mourn their disappearance. Perfect.

Pushing off from small rock I had been silently leaning on, I cut through the water like a blade, diving beneath the clear surface, my hips moving in a gentle, fluid rhythm as my tail propelled me further and further below to the places the sunlight couldn't quite reach. Even in the growing murk, my tail left gleaming shimmers of gold against the fish's scales and the bits of coral here and there. I smiled to myself, twisting and turning as I came to a small cove nestled into some rock from a large cliff that sprouted hundreds of feet above surface.

I inhaled deeply, pushing myself harder with ease as I neared the cove, slipping under the top lip of the opening, swimming down through the long tunnel that led into mine and my own brother's home. I turned a small corner before slipping into a large, circular cavern with shelves, seating and bedding carved out from the rock. To the left of the cavern were almost lounge-like stone chairs, carved and smoothed with a fine layer of seaweed for padding. Metal and jewel trinkets, glass blown objects and other knick knacks littered through the shelves; findings from mine and my brother's adventures on the surface.

I smiled softly, turning my attention to find my little brother curled up on the large, stone surface of our bed. We had gathered large loads of moss and seaweed, tying them down with rope and more weeds for padding. He was curled up on his side with one arm tucked beneath his head and his other resting on his hip. I sighed softly, shaking my head as I swam in his direction, the faint trickle of light from an overhead opening in the cove coming down and making him glow. The purple and blue scales of his tail glinted with a faint touch of silver, like glitter or fairy dust, in the light. I leaned over the edge of the bed, touching his shoulder once. He didn't stir.

"Drake," I began, shaking him lightly. He groaned softly, his hair swishing around his face in the water slowly as he turned away from me. I rolled my eyes, swimming from my side of the large bed to his, taking his shoulder again. "Drake, kiddo, come on.. It's time to wake up."

Groaning again, Drake's eyes opened to meet mine, the crystal sea-blue glinting with exhaustion. I smiled softly, kneeling down as much as my tail would allow to be at eye level with him, running my fingers through his hair. "Come on, Drake. It's time for dinner." I told him and he yawned, stretching out on the moss padding before slumping back into his laziness, his hand resting on the thigh on his tail with his right arm bent above his head.

"I'm not hungry," he told me, closing his eyes again. I rolled my eyes.

"You say that now, Drake. But I've picked a charming pair. No one will know they're gone. And they're pretty, too," I smirked and Drake opened his eyes, glancing at me.

"The last two were pretty. But they were awfully noisy…" He trailed off and I grimaced. That had been true. The last two that we had taken to the sea had not been all that willing and made quite a commotion before we dragged them under…

"These two are different, Drake." I told him, tugging on his arm.

"Alright, alright, fine. I'll get up." He told me and I smiled brightly at him, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. My brother had a tendency of being stubborn, but I could only excuse it as being young. While we weren't quite sure of our ages, since we aged differently than most humans, I had to assume that I was somewhere close to my early twenties in human years, and Drake was more in his late teens, probably seventeen or eighteen. Nineteen at most.

Drake flicked his tail, stretching it out as the scales shimmered in the soft lighting of the cavern, and I smiled at him again, taking in the long line of his body. He was relatively small for his age, but he had to have been the most beautiful mermaid in all of existence. His chocolate hair was a little on the shaggy side, hanging around his eyes and covering his ears, licking at the nap of his neck and his chin. His skin was tanned from sunlight— he liked venturing onto the surface more than I did— and his eyes were the brightest, clearest blue you could have ever seen. His muscles were lean and toned, light washes of abs poking out in his stomach a little from how frequently he swam. His trail started at his mid-to-lower back, curving down and around his hips with brilliant blue and purple scales, each tipped with a touch of silver. The fins were a soft purple that faded to a blue so light you would have mistaken it to be white or silver.

Unlike Drake, I was a little stockier. My hair was cropped short on the sides, leaving the top covered in a four inch width Mohawk of light and dark blond that went from the front of my hairline down to the back of my head, just above the start of my neck. Where Drake had a boyish face, mine was older in its structure, piercings in my ear lobes and one in my nose. Where Drake's eyes were warm and inviting, mine were an electrifying blue that, I had been told before, had a tendency of growing ice-like whenever I was angered. Unfortunately, I got angered easily.

I was a little paler than Drake with muscles slightly larger than his and broader shoulders. My torso was longer than Drake's, my tail starting in the same places as his. My scales, though, were deep reds and pinks, blending and bleeding together with the faintest hints of gold at the tips. Whenever I swam near the surface and the sunlight caught them, Drake had said I looked like a flame flashing through the waters. My fins were a light pink with streaks of gold running through them.

"Sauli, you're staring again," Drake whined and I laughed, nudging his shoulder.

"Only cause my baby brother is super gorgeous." I told him with a gentle smile. Drake blushed a little, rolling his eyes as he slid from the stone bed where he'd been sleeping not five minutes before.

"Good God, Sauli, you're creepy. You look at me like you want me, and I'm pretty sure that's illegal." Drake and I chuckled softly as he swam up to one of the shelves where we kept clothes for the occasions that we went to the surface.

"Only on land, Drake. Besides, you know I love you. I'm just looking out for you," I told him and Drake rolled his eyes, grabbing two pairs of brown trousers and shirts for us. Blue for him and red for me. Of course, since we lived underwater— as it was our natural home— the clothes that we brought got wet and would be wet until they dried on land. Unfortunately, we never stayed long enough for them to dry.

"I think you look out for me enough, Sauli. You don't need to literally watch my every move," Drake teased, swimming back down and handing me my clothes. I shrugged a little, smiling at him as he swam to a small corner where we kept jewelry that we'd found or bought— or even stole— from the surface. "Hey, so I used those small seashells we found to make you something," he said softly and I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" I inquired and Drake turned, smiling at me as he swam back to me, clutching what looked to be a necklace in his hands. True enough, on a thick leather cord were all the seashells we had found a while back. Mixes of brown and cream colored ones as well as a few pieces of coral for color. There was a larger shell in the middle, one that curled and curved in on itself, stained a light pink. I smiled softly as Drake swam behind me, fastening the necklace around my neck.

"Thank you, Drake, it's beautiful.." I told him, pulling him close to press a kiss to his forehead. Drake blushed again, smiling softly.

"You're welcome, Sauli." He said.

"Come on, let's get some dinner…" Drake nodded once, following me out of our home and through the tunnel, out into the open sea as we swam upward, breaking through the waters of the surface, inhaling air as easily as we inhaled the ocean water. I smiled over at Drake, leading him towards a small, private nook in the shore. Drake clutched tight to our clothes as I climbed out, sand and water sticking and dripping to my body as I pulled myself from the water. The moment my feet left the water, my tail began to disappear. Little by little the scales seemed to sink back into my body, leaving skin, muscle and bone. Hip bones poked out where they had been hidden before as the lean curves of my thighs, knees and calves came into view. My legs separated as the scales sunk into the skin, and I shakily pulled myself to my feet.

I walked back to the water, standing ankle deep in it. Because I was in the water, the scales on my feet and my ankles remained, shining in the setting sun as I used the water to clean the sand off my body. Most people would have found it strange that a naked man was standing ankle deep in the water, cleaning sand off, but there was no one but myself and Drake, and we'd seen each other nude plenty times enough that it didn't bother us anymore.

When the sand was cleared, I took my clothes from Drake, dressing into my pants before tucking my shirt into the waistband. I didn't want to put it on just yet. Drake held the edges of his clothing between his teeth as he reached for me, and I looped my arms under his, pulling him effortlessly into my hold as his tail disappeared in the same fashion as mine. When only the few scales remained on his feet, I set him in the sand, watching them fade away as he dressed. We wrung out our shirts before tugging them on, uncaring of the heavy-wetness of our attire. We were used to it.

"Ready?" I asked, and Drake nodded.

It didn't take long for us to find the boys I had spotted before. They were still by the shore, sitting beside a fire that they had made, staring out into the setting sun. Drake and I lingered back by some rocks, sitting casually on them. We had our hunting down to a practice. While most of our kind would entice them into bed with drink or with their looks alone, Drake and I resorted to alternative methods.

Mermaids were known to have the most beautiful voices in all the land and sea. With alluring beauty, their voices were magical and were known to have men and women falling at their feet with a single uttered word. Drake and I, while being masterful at matters of seduction, preferred this approach. This meant we didn't have to go out looking for prey. We brought it to us.

We never concerned ourselves with gender, either. We preferred males, since Drake and I were more attracted and attractive to the male population, but we weren't entirely set on men, only. We'd had our share of women. They were just often noisy and more of a struggle than they were worth.

I tapped my foot against the stone of the rock, creating a delicate beat as Drake sang softly, whispering of voodoo and lust. Call it a calling, if you will, for humans. We had tried dozens of songs, but this one was the most effective. Perhaps it was because it was in a hushed tone, sung in a different language that seemed to translate itself in your head without having to really know the language itself.

I joined in after a moment, the huskier blend of my voice complimenting with Drake's soft and sweet voice. Gentle whispers of song, dancing out over the waves and the rocks. The sun began to sink lower and lower beneath the horizon of the waters when we heard a shuffling. I glanced over, seeing the boys peering around the rocks, no doubt intrigued by what they were hearing. Drake and I pretended not to notice them in the slightest as they clamored closer to us.

They climbed the small rocks behind us, their noisy and slippery footsteps loud when they were trying to make them quiet. The younger of the two boys came behind Drake, his eyes wide and glazed over with desire. The songs of mermaids were known to hypnotize. And depending upon your song depended upon their emotion. This was a song of passion and lust; naturally they came forth to appease their false desires.

A warm kiss pressed itself to the side of my neck and I moaned beneath my words, continuing to sing delicately as the older of the two boys' hands slid over my hips, his breath hot against my ear. I smirked a little to myself, glancing over at Drake when I heard his voice trail off and stop. He had the younger boy in a lip lock, his tanned fingers tangled deeply into the sun-kissed hair. The boy's lips dragged in soft, smooth kisses up my jaw as he turned my head, kissing me hard. He was inexperienced, but that didn't bother me in the slightest. I moaned into his mouth, palming his cheek with my hand, pulling him closer.

While the boy kissed and nibbled at my neck, I glanced over in Drake's direction, finding him beneath his own boy, his shirt stripped and discarded down into the sand. I moaned as my boy nipped my ear, tugging on it a little before sucking at the lobe, sliding his hands under my shirt. Gasping softly, his hands felt cold and unsteady against my skin, and I threaded my fingers into his hair, pulling hard.

Groaning, the boy pushed me down into the rock, hovering over me as he nipped and kissed my throat, his hands fumbling to reach into my pants. I smirked a little, letting my eyes slip shut as I lifted my hips into his touch, moaning quietly. He was just about to slip a hand in when I grabbed his wrist, stopping him, "Wait," I whispered, my voice laced with a soft underlying of lust. He moaned, his eyes glassed over. Whatever mentality this boy had before, it was gone. He was mine.

"Come with me…" I told him, pushing him off of me. He moaned again, nodding once as I slid from the rock, taking his hand and pulling him out towards the shore line. I stopped short, the water rushing around my ankles. The sun had long since disappeared, and he would not see the scales emerging in my skin. The boy came up behind me, sliding his hands onto my hips, pressing another kiss to the back of my neck. "I have something to show you."

"What?" He whined, tugging at my shirt. I pulled it off, moaning and arching into the soft nips he left into my shoulders. I pulled my trousers off, letting them fall as I heard a soft groan, a breath ghosting over my skin as the boy's hands caressed my arms and down over my lower stomach.

"Let me show you," I told him, turning my head to flash a brilliant smile at him as I let him into the water. The crystal blue painted black from the night sloshed around my legs, my scales glistening beneath the surface as they began to cover my legs, quickly spiraling up around my calves and my knees. I reached up, pushing his shirt off and tossing it back to the surface to join my clothes as I glanced passed his shoulder. Drake and his own boy were naked, the young human pushing into him and moaning. Drake had a fascination for seducing his prey on land before taking them into the water… I liked cutting straight to the chase.

The boy kicked his own trousers off as I pulled him farther out into the ocean, the scales binding my legs together to reform my tail, and I whispered into his ear, "Don't be afraid." He nodded once and I pulled him beneath the surface, watching as his eyes widened a little from being beneath the surface, his hands clutching tightly to me. His gaze fell to my tail and widened further, his mouth open in a silent gasp before he gasped again. Most thought it was legend that humans could breathe underwater when they were in contact with a mermaid. Those who found that legend to be true didn't live long enough to tell their friends…

"You're a mermaid?" The boy whispered, a touch of clarity coming through the hypnosis. I smiled, baring my teeth which had fangs protruding from my canines, and the boy froze, his screams silent as I bit into his neck, ripping open a wound. He thrashed against me, blood pooling and clouding into the water as I drank, nibbling at his flesh now and then before swallowing. The boy kicked and lashed about but grew weaker and weaker as I drained him of his precious life. I was kind enough to, at least, let him release his arousal before draining him entirely, feeling him fall limp in my arms. Blood clouded around his face and pooled in my mouth as I swallowed, wasting no time to devour him entirely.

Mermaids were known to be beautiful creatures, that was for sure. But they were also known to be blood-thirsty creatures, seducing their prey before devouring them. This was true. I never favored feasting on humans, per say, because in my heart it felt wrong to do so. But I knew of no other way to live. No other way to stave off this hunger other than to drag them into the sea and consume them. I knew Drake didn't like it, either. But there was nothing else we could do. It was like humans feasting on animals. They knew of no other way to survive.

The remains, consisting of bloodied bones and wisps of hair, fell through my arms and into the dark depths of the sea below me. I sighed softly, whispering a soft prayer for peace for the boy before swimming back to the surface. My head broke through and I saw Drake still at his rock, his own boy pale with death. His throat was half eaten as were the muscles of his thighs, and Drake was wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand.

"You're not going to finish him?" I teased to Drake and he glared at me for a moment before smiling a little, and shaking his head.

"I told you I wasn't all that hungry. Thirsty more than anything," he called back to me, lifting the corpse into his arms with ease as he carried the boy to the fire pit that he and his brother had made. He whispered a soft prayer to the boy, setting him into the flames before gathering dried weeds and branches, covering the burning body. The flames grew larger as they caught the boy instantly, the smell of burning flesh like cooked meat. I grimaced as Drake gathered our clothes as well as those of the boys, carrying them tucked into his arms, wading out into the sea to join me. I took half of the clothes from him, holding them close to me.

"Come on, Drake, let's go home." I told him, starting to turn away. I heard a silence behind me and I turned back, seeing Drake staring out to his left with the look of utmost awe on his face. I frowned, glancing in the direction that he was staring to see the dark silhouette of a man on a small boat, casually drifting out into the sea. "Drake?" I called, but my baby brother seemed not to have heard me. I glanced back at the man, seeing the vague details of a pale, beautiful face with dark hair, black against the darkening night sky.

"Drake, let's go. We've had our fill," I told him, ducking beneath the surface, my brother following suit after a few moments hesitation.


	2. We May Never Meet Again

**Chapter Two: It Very Well May Be That We May Never Meet Again  
>Drake's POV<strong>

"Sauli?" I whispered to my brother, but he was curled up on our makeshift bed, sleeping soundly after his filling meal and my not-so-filling one. I knew I should have finished that boy off, but I just… I couldn't. Yes, I was built to seduce and I was made to kill, but I hated it. Usually, if I was hungry enough, I could put the guilt aside long enough to feed efficiently, but if I tried to eat when I wasn't all that hungry, guilt ate me alive… No pun intended…

"Sauli?" I muttered again, nudging him gently, but his tail just wound tighter around himself, much like a cat, curling her tail around herself as she sleeps. I knew my brother wasn't going to wake up any time soon. He was always like this after a good meal; lazy and tired. I kissed his hair gently before pushing myself off of the bed and swimming out of the underwater cave my older brother and I lived in.

My tail moved from left to right in a constant, steady motion. Normally I swam rather quickly, but right now I wasn't in too much of a hurry. I wasn't racing to the surface to take advantage of some poor, beautiful soul before they got a chance to leave the shore. I wasn't trying to keep up with my brother's quick pace. He was just a little stronger, considering he was older and fully developed. I wasn't quite finished in my growth and I hated that Sauli always had that over me. I loved my brother, but I hated being his "baby". He was just so over protective of me, it got really annoying at times.

Slowly I propelled through the water, making my way back to the surface. I wasn't hungry, so I wasn't on my way to a hunt. I was more than full, actually. The truth was, I ventured up to the surface all the time, even though Sauli didn't particularly approve of that. He felt that, since we were mermaids (despite popular belief about mermaids, they are not all females) we should spend most of are time in the ocean. To a point, I agreed with him. We were, technically speaking; half fish and we were creatures of the deep.

However… We are also half human. Well, not human exactly, we're stronger than humans, we live longer than humans and we are naturally more beautiful and alluring than humans, but we are half human-like, perhaps super humans was a more accurate term. This is where my brother and I strongly disagree. He believes we should stay in the water. He believes we belong there all of the time. I disagree. I believe that we belong equally on land. We don't have the ability to lose our tails and grow legs for no reason. I always tell Sauli that we should spend half of our time on the surface. He doesn't like the surface enough to spend more time there with me, however. I wish he did. We do almost everything together, but he doesn't share my love of the world above us.

Humans intrigued me but my brother felt that my love for getting to know them was rather stupid. He always told me that they weren't good for anything but a good fuck and a warm meal. We weren't supposed to be attached to them; they were nothing more than our energy source. I hated that this was true. I wanted to be able to feed on animals or just normal food, but as far as any of us knew, humans were the only food source that was good enough to keep us at our one-hundred percent.

Sauli and I both felt bad for seducing humans simply to kill them. That's why I always went all the way with my boys and occasional girls. I wanted them to have one last wonderful feeling on this Earth before I ripped their lives away from them. I felt like a monster, probably because I was a monster and I absolutely hated it. I felt like I was a serial killer, a murder and a psychopath. It was almost impossible to convince myself that I wasn't, especially right after a fresh kill.

My head broke the surface of the ocean faster than I expected. Sometimes, when my mind started wandering too much, I completely lost track of time or where I was. It was late, a full moon shinning brightly over the surface of the water, a perfect reflection of the moon and the stars in the blue water turned black with night. Slowly I swam towards a small cove just off a tiny, private island. There were several large boulders that scattered throughout the cove and during the day they were my favorite places to lie out and sun bathe. I'd never really gone during the nighttime because I was usually curled up with my brother, asleep, but tonight I couldn't sleep.

I pulled myself up onto the rock in the center of the cove. It was my favorite boulder, but I didn't pull myself completely out of the water. I let my back rest against the smooth stone surface while my tail slowly swished through the cool water. I'd never really noticed just how the moonlight made my tail sparkle like glitter, but looking at it now made me realize maybe I really was as attractive and beautiful as my brother always said. I always thought he was exaggerating because he was bias. My tail shined in the sun, but not like this. It was much more appealing in moonlight… While my brother was fair more attractive in the sunlight.

For a while, I just stared up at the stars, drawing pictures through the stars. I knew that humans already created pictures in the sky, what they call constellations, but I never really understood them. I'd located ever single constellation but most of them didn't really look like what they were supposed to, in fact, they didn't really look like anything.

Sauli always told me I was too artistic for my own good. I was constantly making things out of anything I happened to find. I was always rearranging things in our little cave to make the place feel homier and look fantastic while accomplishing a warm, welcoming feeling. I even used old wood from sunken ships to make sculptures or images on. I was always creating something and Sauli always pointed it out. He said he wished he had half the talent I did, but what he didn't realize was that he did have so much talent… More than I would probably ever have.

That's beside the point though. When I stared at the stars, I could make gorgeous pictures that actually looked like pictures. I wished I could make other people see them instead of me seeing their beauty alone. I wanted to share this with someone else, but who else was there that would understand me? My brother, yes, but he didn't like coming to this cove with me, especially not at night. The only time he ever came to the surface was if he was hungry or if I was dragging him along with me. He usually through a bitch fit whenever I did, so I didn't do it very often, only if there was something I really wanted to show him, or it was a special day like my birthday.

I started to hum to myself, fully intent on singing even though nobody was around. I used my voice and my songs to seduce my prey with Sauli but I also just enjoyed singing. It was something that I found beautiful and relaxing, depending on the song. I only used the song of voodoo and sex to seduce men and women. I didn't like singing it any other time because it made me feel so filthy and disgusting.

The moment I opened my mouth to start singing, to myself, mind you, I heard the soft swishing of tiny waves in the distance, followed by a beautiful and alluring voice. It was enough to be seductive but not enough to be that of a mermaid, so I sat up and looked around curiously. I had a lot of cat-like habits like purring and curling my tail around myself when I slept (my brother did that too). My curiosity was even worse.

At first I didn't see anything, but when I turned around on my stomach so I could see behind me and still have my tail in the water, I saw him, the boy who I'd seen after hunting with Sauli this morning. He was still in that little rowboat, seeming to be drifting aimlessly. He didn't look too worried though. He seemed rather happy, with a piece of fruit in his hand. He took his last few bites before tossing the core into the ocean. I was almost positive that the core wouldn't hit the sea floor because hungry fish would swarm it. The minute he swallowed his last bite, he continued his beautiful song, singing of falling in love on a beach.

As ashamed as I was, his beauty lured me in. Usually I was the one using people to that extent but he was just so perfect. He was pale with shoulder length, raven black hair that framed his face like a dark stained wood. His voice was beautiful enough to be that of a mermaid but he was just a little too human to be part fish. I wanted to swim to him and prop myself up on the side of the boat. I wanted to serenade him and lure him into a kiss or maybe I wanted to let him lure me in. I'd never been seduced before and the idea intrigued me to no end. I wanted to know what it was like for someone to have that type of power over me. It sent chills of excitement coursing through regions that I shouldn't have been concentrating on for an ordinary human. They weren't worth falling in love with. They weren't made to be lovers for mermaids. A human and a mermaid weren't meant to be together and yet…

"God... You are so beautiful," I whispered to myself, my tail swishing happily through the water, my elbows sitting on the rock, my hands propping up my chin. I felt a little guilty for watching the man like this without him knowing I was here, but I didn't feel bad enough to stop watching him all together. "Why have I never met another human as beautiful as you?" I mused to myself, as if he could actually here me and answer questions that only our maker could answer.

I watched his boat drift away and there were several times where I almost jumped into the water to swim after the boat, but I kept back. Sauli would be so angry with me if I mingled with a human that I didn't plan on killing and using as my next meal, but how could I kill someone who was so beautiful and flawless? I would want this boy to be my mate before I would make him my meal. He was just too perfect and… Well everything I'd pictured when I thought of what my future lover would be. Only I never pictured the boy (I preferred boys, girls were just too annoying most of the time) that I fell in love with and spent my life with as a human. I always assumed he would be a mermaid since that's what I was and because I fed on humans, but… maybe I could be with a human.

When the man took out two oars and started to row away, I did jump back into the water to follow him. He glanced back after I slipped into the water, practically silently but I was positive that he didn't even notice the ripples in the water left by me.

I followed him back towards the shore of the tiny island and he pulled his boat up onto the sand, pulling it up away from the water before he started walking up a tiny hill, leading up to a rather large, gorgeous house. Surely if he lived there, he didn't live there alone. Thinking of him with a lover just seemed to make my heart ache for reasons I absolutely could not figure out. Why would I be so in love with someone I hadn't even met yet? I'd only seen him twice and both of those times had been today.

I swam to the shore, ready to pull myself out and follow him. Who knows, maybe he would instantly fall in love with me and we would make love right there on the sand. My luck didn't seem to be so good, however, because a short, slim, tan and beautiful blonde boy came out of the front of the house. He wrapped his arms around the taller, pale and black haired man I'd been so interested in. They kissed for just a moment before the taller hugged the other man back.

Perhaps they were just good friends and perhaps they were more than that, I wasn't entirely sure. A lot of people kissed even if they weren't romantically interested in one another, but I didn't want to chance it. I'd want to be alone with the raven haired man anyway, not be caught in the middle of a threesome. Or worse, cause with the man I wanted by his lover. Then I might be forced to kill them both…

"Until next time… I'll definitely be back for you, Beautiful," I whispered, promising the man I would come back for him. To be honest, I was still a little hesitant in leaving because I was already completely sure that I wanted him, but I couldn't go to him. Not now, it wasn't the right time. "I'll be back… I swear."

I watched the pair until they disappeared in the house and then I slowly receded back into the water. Sauli would be made if he woke up and I wasn't there, so I wanted to get back to the cave before he woke up to no little brother but each meter back down to Sauli was another meter I had to push myself even more.

I didn't want to go…


	3. Brave and Trepid, and Then Some

**Chapter Three: Brave and Trepid, and Then Some…**

**Sauli's POV**

It had been three days since Drake and I had gone up together for our last meal. Unlike most other creatures of the sea and land, mermaids had intricate and complex digestive systems. When we hunted and fed for our meals, our bodies stored away the food and the blood, essentially burning it as energy when we needed it. And one meal could last anywhere between two days and an entire week. It depended entirely upon what we did and how often we exerted ourselves to need that energy.

Since Drake and I hadn't done much, we were able to get away with not eating for several days, though I could feel the soft, occasional stabs of gentle hunger gnawing at me once in a while. The hunt, by no means, was fresh in our bellies, but it lingered enough that we could get away with saving off another kill for at least a day, maybe two if we wanted to push it.

It wasn't uncommon for us to be this lazy. We'd explored the waters and the land of the island that we lived near hundreds of times before, much to my displeasure. I wasn't one for wandering about on land and mingling with the humans, but I could not deny Drake of everything, and on occasion I went with him as he ventured through the shore and the woods just on the edge near the sea. Rarely did we run into anyone, much to Drake's displeasure.

Sighing softly, I tucked an arm underneath my head, staring up at the ceiling of the cave, my fingers toying with the shells of the necklace Drake had made for me. That was, perhaps, the one thing I couldn't understand about Drake. He had this fascination for the humans that exceeded beyond anything I could comprehend. Sure, he used them for sexual pleasure before devouring them just like any other mermaid, but he had this… this desire to know them. He wanted to talk to them and know them and always pouted when I told him no, like I was shattering his hopes and dreams.

I couldn't even count the number of times that I'd told Drake the humans were not to be trusted. They were vicious creatures who, if they found out what we were and escaped before we could finish them, they would surely have us killed. And if there was one thing in this world that I was determined to avoid it was Drake falling into the hands of a human..

I rolled over, still toying with the necklace as I watched Drake sleep beside me. Usually I was the one who slept in late and didn't wake until late morning or early afternoon, but Drake was still out like a light, and the day was creeping by, drifting into late afternoon. I smiled softly, reaching over to brush his hair out of his face. When he slept, he looked so much like a little boy; like my little baby.

It was often hard to believe how much Drake had grown. Our parents died when he was very young. I didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain for him by asking if he could even remember them, though something always told me that he could. I could, definitely. I could remember them waking up every morning and teaching us to hunt and sing. I could remember the storm and the fish net that caught them up. I could remember the screams and shouts of the men on the boat as they drove the blades of their harpoon guns through their hearts, their scales gleaming in their legs…

I bit down on my lip, blinking back my tears. Drake had stayed back at the cave for fear of the storm that night, and our mother's father— our grandfather— stayed with him while Mother and Father went out. They were going to hunt, and I followed them to convince them to stay behind, to wait the storm out. But they insisted that they would be fine.

Shivering a little, I tucked my head on the fins of my tail instead of my arm, staring across the small distance between me and Drake. He'd been so young when they died. I'd told him the story of their death a hundred times, it seemed, but I doubted he could really comprehend the horror of it. No doubt the story was horrendous enough, but I knew that Drake would have been traumatized by it had he actually been present to witness the whole thing.

I mentally shook myself of the memories, my fingers running through Drake's hair as he shifted, his eyes fluttering softly before opening slowly to meet mine. A small smile pulled at his lips before he yawned, nuzzling into my hand before looking to me again, "Morning, Sauli." He whispered and I laughed quietly, rubbing the back of his head, just above where his neck started. It was one of his favorite spots.

"Good afternoon, kiddo," I began and Drake smiled apologetically, "I swear, you sleep like the dead." I told him and Drake's cheeks went a little pink with a blush, a purr escaping his throat as I rubbed his head.

"I'm sorry, I was tired." He told me and I shook my head a little, pulling him close before pressing a kiss to his lips. Drake and I were brothers, yes. But since our parents had died, followed shortly by our grandfather due to his age, I had raised Drake to the best of my ability, caring for him and teaching him everything our parents didn't have the chance to. And since we spent all of our time together, we'd grown close. Perhaps closer than most siblings, but it didn't bother us. We loved each other, and that was all that mattered to us.

Drake kissed me back, a quiet moan escaping his lips. Drake was young and affection reacted strongly with him. It wasn't uncommon. When I had been his age, I had been the same way. Since then, though, I'd become accustomed to kisses and teases, and their effect was not as strong on me as it was on Drake.

"It's alright, Drake," I muttered against his lips, "What time did you go to sleep?" I asked, caressing his cheek as I pulled away. Drake's eyes drifted from mine and he bit his lip, as if contemplating.

"Um.. I don't know. It was still dark out, and it wasn't long after you…" He said, though there was a strangeness to his voice that I couldn't quite place, and yet it was so brief I almost wondered if I had imagined its presence. I frowned a little, nodding once before looking away, covering my mouth as I yawned.

"I see," I said after a moment, blinking away the exhaustion from my eyes. Drake bit his lip again, shifting and stretching a little.

"Sauli…?" He began, and I blinked, looking over at him, my left eyebrow winging up as if to urge him to ask his question. Drake hesitated for a moment before asking me softly, "Would you mind if I went up to the surface, again, today?" I frowned a touch, rubbing the back of my neck gently.

"We were just up there a few days ago, Drake. Why, are you hungry?" I asked, but Drake merely shook his head, looking away. "Then why do you want to go?" I questioned, trying to keep the tone of demand out of my voice as best as I could. I didn't like the surface. In fact, I hated it. I didn't like being close to humans. They were foul creatures that didn't deserve to have an existence in this world when mermaids were superior; we lived longer, excelled beyond them in intelligence and athletics. Mermaids were, to be blunt, better.

"I… I just wanted to visit it.." he trailed off and I sighed softly.

"Drake… baby, you know I don't like you going up to the surface." I told him and Drake sighed quietly, looking away from me again.

"Yeah, I know, Sauli. But.. I can take care of myself, and you know that." He argued and I sighed, running my fingers through the short crop of my hair, letting my eyes slip shut as Drake rolled more onto his side, staring at me. "Besides, if anyone tries to hurt me, I'll just kill them like you taught me." I opened my eyes again, glancing over at my little brother with a small smile toying at my lips.

"Yeah, I know. But why are you so interested in going to the surface? There can't be anything of real merit up there?" I inquired. Drake didn't look at me for the longest moment, nor did he speak at first. I sighed softly, sitting up a little to look down at my baby brother. He was biting his lip, breathing even and deep as he stared blankly into the distance. "Drake?" I murmured and he looked up at me.

"What, Sauli?"

"What's so intriguing about the surface?" I asked, and Drake hesitated before speaking softly.

"N-nothing, really. I just… I think it's pretty, that's all." I frowned at him.

"Drake, the surface is made up of dirt, rock, trees and disgusting humans. There's nothing beautiful about it at all." I argued and Drake sighed, sitting up as well before pulling his tail to his chest much like he would if he had legs, crossing his arms over the top and resting his chin on them.

"Well, I think it's beautiful, especially when it's night time. All those stars, Sauli… I can't see them from down here." He admitted, his voice taking on a soft tone of wonder and awe and I sighed.

"Alright, fine. You can go. But I want you home before dark, alright?" I told him and Drake whined quietly.

"Sauli, why don't you trust me? I can take care of myself. I'm perfectly capable of seducing and killing for my meals, so I think I can handle a human if he tries to take advantage of me." Drake said. While his point was valid and I, really, had no room to argue, I sighed anyway, running my fingers through my hair again, resting my hand on the back of my neck.

"I do trust you. And I know that you're capable of taking care of yourself. But I don't trust humans, Drake. They're just as capable of hurting you as you are of hurting them. Besides, they have blades and guns and you? You have your teeth and song, and not all of them are as easily affected as others, and you know that." I explained, and Drake rolled his eyes, looking away from me again.

"You keep treating me like I'm five. I'm, like, eighteen now, Sauli. I think I can handle a silly human with a silly gun or whatever." He retaliated and I huffed softly, waving him off.

"Fine, fine. But I still want you home before dark. Stay to watch the sunset and see the stars if you desire, but do not stay beyond that, do you hear me?" I ordered and Drake grinned, gliding over to me and wrapping his arms tightly around me, squeezing me in a tight and warm hug. I couldn't fight the smile that pulled at my lips as I curled my arms around his waist, holding him close.

"I'll be home before it gets too dark, okay? I promise. I'll be back and I'll be good. I won't stray too far from shore." He told me. In truth, I would have preferred him to stay in the water, but that would have just caused another argument and that would have been entirely unnecessary. So I hummed in agreement, pulling back to leave a kiss on his cheek.

"Be safe, Drake, alright? I'll be here. And take clothes with you. No good in letting you wander around if you're gonna wander naked. Boys will jump at you if they see you in all your gorgeous nude glory." I smirked as Drake blushed softly, nodding once and smiling shyly at me. I kissed his lips once, nudging his arm. "Alright, baby, go." I told him. Drake grinned, hugging me again before zooming off to grab clothes from the corner of the cave before swimming out like lightening, leaving me in the still silence of our home with a sigh tumbling from my lips.


	4. You're Gonna Fall In Love With Me

**Chapter Four: I'm Gonna Love You and You're Gonna Fall In Love With Me  
>Drake's POV<strong>

Honestly, Sauli's constant worry about me was getting a little old. I was an adult and I should have been able to do whatever I wanted without asking his permission. Sure, I understood his motives for trying to keep me close and everything. After what had happened to our parents, he swore he would take care of me and he had been, but sometimes he held me on such a tight leash. I was truly amazed I got him to agree to let me go up to the surface by myself so quickly. Usually it took a lot more convincing with just a little bit of a pout and a disappointed whine to my tone. He was a sucker for… well, seeing me upset.

Deep down he wanted to make me happy, but he also wanted me to be safe. He had some silly notion that I wasn't strong enough to take care of myself and that simply wasn't the truth. I was stronger than any human and much faster even on human feet I could outrun anyone.

I swam to the cove that I loved so much, the same place that I saw that beautiful human in the little rowboat, but today it just seemed a little lonely. I had laid out on the giant rock for a while, bathing in the sunlight. I left about half of my tail in the ocean and I was simply amazed at how the sunlight lit my scales to a beautiful, silvery glow. I could only imagine how Sauli's would look in the sun, since his were beautiful reds and gold. I was a little jealous of how beautiful his tail was. He always says that I'm just about as beautiful as mermaids come, but I never really understood it. Sauli was just so much prettier than I was.

Lying out on the rock, admiring my scaled and singing to myself quickly grew boring and lonesome. I never would have told Sauli, but I was really hoping to see that human again. I couldn't really understand what was so fascinating about him. Humans had only ever been tools to mermaids. We used them for sexual favors and then as a food source.

But there was something about the raven-haired man that just drew me in, like he was the hunter and I was the helpless human, enchanted by such beauty. Maybe I was just being stupid, like an infatuation that didn't really mean anything, but it felt like something that I should, at least, explore a little. Sauli didn't need to know. I could already imagine how that conversation would go…

_"Drake, humans aren't suitable mates. They are nothing more than our dinner and you know that," he would say in that all knowing tone of his and I would be upset and probably have tears clinging to the corners of my eyes._

_"But Sauli, he's different! You don't even know him! How can you say something like 'he's not a good mate' when you've never even tried to understand him?" I would cry back and Sauli would just cross his arms over his chest and huff._

_"You don't know him either, Drake, and humans aren't to be trusted. He's not a mate for you. You need to find a __**mermaid**__ your age, not a human," he would say, trying to sound reasonable, even though I wouldn't think he was being reasonable at all. We'd argue for a while longer and I would tell Sauli that he always treats me like a baby and that I would never be able to meet someone, human or mermaid, if he was always holding onto me. He would get upset and I would get even more upset._

_It would probably just end with me swimming away angrily and running off to find that human boy, completely against my older brother's wishes._

Yep, that is definitely a conversation I would like to avoid for as long as I possibly can, but if I want to ever be serious with this boy, I wouldn't be able to avoid Sauli for forever. Part of me couldn't even believe that I was worrying about this. I didn't even know that human boy. Why would I throw my heart to him when I didn't even know his name?

I found myself swimming to the shore, where Sauli and I had seduced those two poor souls a few days ago. My stomach gave a little lurch at the memory. I truly did hate feasting on humans but as far as I knew, there weren't really any other alternatives. My people had fed off human flesh for centuries upon centuries. What were we supposed to do? Eat seaweed?

Surfacing, I pulled myself out of the water. My tail slowly separated into legs, the blue and green scales fading into flesh. It always amazed me, the ability we had to grow legs. It didn't seem to make much sense to me. I mean, how did something like a tail just dissolve into human legs? I always wondered about it, but there wasn't much sense in complaining about it. To be honest, I liked being on land and in the sun a lot more than being in the sea all the time. Salt water never did taste any better, no matter how many times you had to taste it.

Getting the sand off of my soaked skin was always a challenge when I didn't have Sauli there to simply lift me out of the water, but I managed to get most of it off of me before ringing my clothes out as best I could and slipping into them. Today I happened to grab a pair of trousers that had been cut off, so they only went down to my mid thigh, exposing the rest of my legs. They were white, to match the white, shear shirt that hung off my shoulders just slightly.

The warm sand felt amazing under my slightly chilled feet. The only thing I hated about visiting the surface was being so cold when I first got out of the ocean, but the sun always warmed my tanned skin quickly. Most mermaids were pale because they spent all their time under the water, but I was quite dark-toned because I explored the surface so much. Most of my kind would probably think me strange, if not just a flat out freak. Even my own brother thought I was a bit on the odd side.

I didn't care.

I walked along the shore for a while. It only took several minutes for the blistering sun to dry my clothes and my hair, which hung around my shoulder in the front and slopped up to a very short cut in the back. The chocolate locks framed my face quite nicely, I had to admit, and my dark hair made my blue eyes stand out like lighting. I supposed I could see why Sauli told me I was beautiful, but certainly not the most beautiful mermaid to exist.

There weren't many people out on the beach today, which shocked me. I'd walked about ten minutes and never saw a single soul. The only thing I could think of was, perhaps, the heat was keeping people at bay. It was unusually hot for England, but the heat was quite pleasant to someone who spent a lot of time in frigid water.

After about twenty minutes of relax-paced walking along the shore, I heard someone laughing. It was like a beautiful chime ringing out over the ocean and I quickly went to investigate, stationing myself behind a large boulder so I could remain hidden. I looked around, merely to find two men sitting on a large quilt. One was very lean with muscles that were defined but not huge, a figure a lot like mine, actually. He had sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. A smile was planted on his face and his head resting on that of a man who had bigger, more defined frame. He was still very lean, with freckles covering his tanned skin. Dark locks fell around his face and he was the boy who had been singing on the rowboat a few nights ago. That would definitely explain why his laugh was so beautiful. It was just like his singing voice.

I wasn't close enough to pick up every word they were saying, and I kind of felt a little guilty for spying on them, but they were discussing a few things they needed to get from their trip into town and that they wanted to stop at some sort of fancy restaurant for dinner before they came back. The blonde smirked a little, mumbling something about treating his baby to a nice date and I felt my heart plummet just a little. Date? They were mates?

It was irrational, yes, that I was so jealous of the blond when I'd never even met the other man, but I didn't want that boy to be with someone else. I wanted to be able to sweep that boy off of his feet, but he wouldn't be interested in other offers if he was serious about the blonde twink he was sitting with.

Maybe they were just friends who liked to tease each other. It was definitely possible. Same sex couples were frowned upon in human society, so maybe they were just joking around or something- Then my theory and my hopes were completely shattered. The raven-haired boy bent down, pressing his lips hard to the smaller's and they were caught in quite a passionate kiss.

My heart sped up a little and, at first, I was extremely jealous. Part of me wanted to just go over there and pull the blonde away so I could have a chance to serenade the other boy and make him fall in love with me, but the longer I watched them, the more I was drawn into watching them. Well, not them, more specifically the black haired man. The way his lips molded against the other boy's lips. The way his arms were looped around the smaller boy's frame and the way he seemed to care so much for the other boy.

It wasn't hard to imagine myself in that boy's place. I could almost feel his freckled lips pressed to mine, kissing me like I was the last thing on this Earth. I leaned into the rock, resting my cheek against its warm surface. My eyelids drooped a little, but I kept my gaze locked on the man I was already wanting so badly. I could hear a little voice in the back of my head (strangely sounding just like Sauli) whispering that I shouldn't be interested in him. That instinct was probably right, but how could I not be? He was so beautiful and he made such beautiful noises.

He could have been a mermaid…

I would have thought he was one, other than the fact that mermaids could pick out other mermaids, even when they were on the surface and took on human form. No, this boy was definitely human, but he was unlike any other human and maybe he did have a twink as a boyfriend right now, but I didn't really think that the boy was too much of a threat. Come on, a human twink verses a mermaid with an enchanting and seductive song? Who was really going to win in the end? Definitely not that ugly, blonde boy in his arms right now.

"I'll definitely get you eventually…" I whispered to myself. They pulled away from their kissing at that very moment and the raven-haired boy's eyes travelled over to where I stood, but I hid behind the rock quickly.

I heard the smaller boy as him if something was wrong and he just said, "no, I thought I heard something, but it must have just been the ocean singing its song again." I couldn't fight the small chuckle. He was already a fan of our singing- my singing…

"Oh yes, you won't be hard to get to… Sauli will be harder to deal with then you." Speaking of Sauli, I needed to be getting home. The sun was setting and I promised Sauli I would be home by dark. It may have still been light up here, but down where our cave was, it was sure to already be very dark.

Sighing, I stole one last glance at that beautiful boy. He was staring out at the ocean, a longing glint shinning in his eyes. I bit my lip, not wanting to leave, but I forced myself off of the rock and started back where I'd come from. When I thought I was far enough away to be safe, I stripped my clothes and dived back into the ocean, swimming as quickly as I could back to Sauli and our cave. I just hoped he wasn't too angry with me for being later than I promised I would be.

I definitely didn't want to deal with a lecture from him tonight.


	5. Mother Love Is No More

**Chapter Five: Mother Love is No More, Bring This Savage Back Home**

**Sauli's POV**

It was early in the morning when I woke. There were the barest glints of light coming from the top of our cave and soaking down to where Drake and I laid. The shift of the waters was quiet and I could hear the distant humming of a whale somewhere beyond. I inhaled slowly, tucking an arm beneath my head, my fingers lazily stroking through the hairs on my neck. Drake was snuggled up to my side, his head pillowed on my chest. His left hand rested by his face, his fingers curled just a little around the seashell necklace he'd made for me.

Surprisingly, Drake had gotten home at a relatively decent time last night. Sure, beneath the surface the darkness came quicker than it did above, but I could still see the fleeting traces of light from the glassy top when he returned. And when he did come home, he seemed a little strange. As if caught between two emotions waging war inside his head. Usually, when Drake made a trip to the surface, he had something to talk about from there. Something he'd seen or heard or how beautiful the sunset was and how he wished I could have been there with him all the while. But last night? Nothing.

I tried not to let it bother me, his silence. I tried to consider that maybe Drake was just in one of his moods and needed some time to think on his own. I had fallen asleep easily enough with him tucked into my arms, but I kept periodically waking up in the middle of the night. I couldn't understand why. But it seemed that, every time I closed my eyes, my mind haunted itself with dreams of my parents death, the storm, Drake being caught up in a fisherman's net, and the—

I felt a tremor race down my spine and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. Despite the water, the sensation of cold sweat clung to my skin and I bit my lip, forcing the memories away. No. I wouldn't think about that now. I couldn't. Maybe… Maybe later, at a time when I was alone, but not now. I'd promised myself, years ago when it had happened, that I would forget about it and move on. But every now and then it crept back up and…

I sighed softly, turning my head to press a kiss to Drake's hair, which floated lazily in the water. I hadn't told Drake. I couldn't tell him. At least, not now, anyway. He might have been eighteen and by all manner of speaking an adult, but he was still young. A child in my eyes and he wasn't ready for that. Then again, in my opinion, he wasn't ready for a lot of things, but I couldn't deny him much anymore.

I'd just pressed another kiss to Drake's forehead when he stirred a little, his eyes squeezing shut some before fluttering open. The dim light from the morning above caught his eyes and made them shine as he looked up at me, and I felt my heart kick some. My little baby brother had grown up so quickly to become so extraordinarily beautiful. He always told me that I was more attractive than he was, but I didn't believe him. Our kind, and humans, weren't attracted to me based on looks. They were intimidated by me because of how protective I was of Drake, and by the fact that I would do anything to keep him safe. Most of our kind even forgot on a regular basis that we were brothers because they thought I was his mate.

Drake smiled up at me, nuzzling my chest a little as he whispered into my skin, "Morning, Sauli," his voice was soft and boyish, almost, and I laughed a little bit, running my fingers through his hair some.

"Good morning, Drake. How did you sleep?" I asked as Drake shifted, snuggling closer to me. His tail wrapped over mine, our fins brushing each other's as he moved.

"Pretty good. You?" He mumbled, that just-woken-up exhaustion pulling his eyes back down and his lids shut. I smiled, forcing a chuckle from my chest. It wasn't uncommon for me to have nightmarish dreams, but I didn't want to tell Drake that they were constant. He only knew of them happening once in a while, as far as I knew.

"Alright, I suppose. I was a little restless at first but I managed well enough," I told him, yawning softly. "How did your little trip up to the surface go last night?" I asked and I felt Drake go a little rigid against me. I knew I would never understand his fascination to visit the surface and walk amongst humans. I had given up trying years ago when the trips first started happening. But even though I had stopped trying to understand, I was still concerned and curious about what he did up there.

"Not much, really," Drake said after a moment, sighing softly, "I just walked around more than anything. Sunbathed and stargazed before coming home," I bit down on my lip, humming in response.

"Were there any humans?" I asked. I always asked this question. Drake had a tendency of hiding pieces of information from me, and often would not reveal them unless I asked about the general topic. Such as humans.

"N-no, not really," he told me, his hesitation sending off a warning in my head. "Well, I mean, there were a few—" I tensed a little, "—but none of them saw me, if that's what you're wondering. I stayed hidden, like you've taught me. I was quiet and out of sight. I promise." I sighed softly, relief washing through me when I knew I had no reason to be worried in the first place. Drake had learned hunting and self defense from me, and I had learned it from our father and our grandfather before they passed. I learned from the best and had passed it to him.

"Sauli, you really don't need to worry about me, okay? I can take care of myself, you know," I nodded once. I knew. He hunted for his own meals, seduced his own prey. He'd fought off a human before. Only once, though. When I'd heard the struggle, I'd run over and snapped the man's neck without batting an eye.

"I know that, Drake. I do, and I'm trying. But what if there comes a time when you go up to the surface by yourself and you find yourself surrounded by a dozen men who want nothing more than to hear you scream?" I told him, a memory of cruel eyes flashing into my mind, but I pushed it away.

"Not all of them are like that, though," Drake defended his eyes turned away towards the wall. I sighed softly.

"No, not all of them. But some. Most, even. If they see what you are, they will look upon you with fear and disgust and they will stop at nothing to strike you down and mount you up on some board to be gazed upon like a fisherman's best catch. They will dry you out, tear your scales off and trade them like treasure." I told him, inhaling deeply before running my fingers through the short crop of my hair. Drake sat up some, looking down at me, his hair swishing around his face some.

"They think we're monsters, Drake, because we do what we must to survive. But are they not monsters themselves? Slaughtering the fish we live amongst and the animals of the land to survive? Tearing down their own trees to build houses? Pollute our water with their sewage?" Drake frowned.

"You say they are monsters in their own right, just as they believe we are the monsters. Are you suggesting mermaids and humans to be equals, then?" Drake said gently, and I snorted once, rolling my eyes some.

"By God, never. Humans are inferior to us. They are slower in mind and body and cripple so easily. They are weakened by silly fantasies and unforgiving jealousies. They will never be equal to us." I sneered softly, not really looking at my baby brother. But out of the corner of my eye I could see Drake frowning some, as if after eighteen years he decided to disagree with me on the one thing that all mermaids believed in.

"Mermaids are just as weak, Sauli… We are part human, after all," he commented quietly and I shot a glance at him.

"Are you defending the pathetic existence of our source of sexual fun and food, Drake?" I questioned and Drake huffed softly.

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't degrade and discredit them for what they're worth. Not all humans are dangerous and horrible as you say." My eyes narrowed and I turned towards Drake a little, tilting my head to the side as I searched deep into his gaze.

"You speak as if you know a human that falls into such a description…" I murmured, and Drake's eyes widened softly.

"N-no… not at all!" He said quickly, shaking his head. I bit down on my bottom lip, looking away from him for a moment. Drake had a strange fascination for humans, that much was certain. But I never thought him to go so far as to get close enough to one to talk and understand them. For one thing, I had forbidden it of him. I'd told him countless times before that if he were planning to go near a human, the reason had better be for hunting purposes and hunting purposes only…

All the same, I didn't want to suspect that Drake was sneaking around behind my back and going against my wishes. However, he had been rather feisty lately and had been spending a lot of his time up on the surface. If not on the surface, staring up towards it, as if longing for something there. But what could he want there? On land amongst humans, there was nothing for us. Nothing but living in constant, unhealthy fear. Nothing but living like humans, eating like humans; essentially behaving barbaric compared to our own nature.

I sighed softly, running fingers through my hair again before dropping my hand a little, toying with the seashells that hung around my neck. I hadn't taken it off in the few days since Drake had given it to me. I had no intentions of ever removing it, even if it had a tendency to poke me in my sleep. I glanced over at Drake, seeing that he was staring blankly off across the cave. He seemed upset, and I wanted to ask if he was okay, but he'd probably just tell me that he was fine, and that he was just spacing.

"Sauli?" Drake mused gently after a moment and I hummed softly in response, staring off a little as he spoke. "Why do you hate humans so much?" I blinked once, seeing those cruel eyes in the back of my mind again and I sighed heavily.

"Because humans killed mom and dad. Humans have hunted for our kind to prove and disprove various myths and legends about us.." I told him, glancing over at him again. Drake frowned softly.

"But that was years ago. And no human has ever questioned us despite our extraordinary beauty and singing, even with the legends. Maybe humans aren't as bad as you think, Sauli…" Drake murmured gently and I snorted once in retort. Oh, dearest baby brother, if you only knew what I knew about humans…

"You're beating a dead horse here, Drake. I have my beliefs, and you have yours. And I entitle you to your own faith and opinions, however I do not believe they are as kind and charming as you're defending them to be. As such, I still want you to stay close to me and close to home when it's dark," Drake whined, pouting heavily at me and I just laughed. "I'm sorry Drake, but I'm just looking out for you."

"Look out for me less, then." Drake huffed and I smiled, reaching over to run my fingers through his hair.

"I'd have to love you less, then, as well, and I refuse to do that. And just for subtly suggesting it, I do believe I will have to love you some more, now," I teased, dropping my hand to trail my fingers along his side. Drake bucked and squealed with laughter, his voice ringing in protest as I began to tickle him mercilessly.


	6. You Blow My Heart Up

**Chapter Six: I'm So Starstruck, Baby 'Cause You Blow My Heart Up  
>Drake's POV<strong>

I didn't like disagreeing with Sauli, but in the matter of the surface world and humans, I believed he was way off base because of a few bad experiencing. Not every human could be evil… There were horrible humans in the world, just like there were horrible mermaids. You just couldn't put a stereotype on everyone.

Sauli did that though.

There really wasn't much I could do to change his mind, so I didn't try to push my arguments as much as I would have liked. I wish he saw the beauty I saw on the surface but he felt it was contaminated and ugly. I truly loved my brother, but sometimes- most of the time, actually- I didn't understand him. He had such a big heart with so much love to give, but sometimes he showed it in some very poor ways, like being so over protective and restricting. A lot of the time I felt like he was treating me like he was my jealous lover instead of my older brother.

"Drake? Do you hear me?" Sauli asked after about five minutes of ranting to me. I wanted to go back to the surface and he always gave me the same lecture about it. I probably could have recited it word for word by now. "Drake?" he repeated, taking hold of my shoulder and shaking me to get my full and undivided attention. The only problem with that was, I usually didn't pay him any mind when he was going on and on about how I needed to be safe, stay away from humans and be home before dark.

Blah, blah, blah, the usual.

"Yes, Sauli, I've only heard this same thing a thousand times by now. I'll be home by dark and I won't wander far onto shore," I mumbled, my tail swishing through the water a little too quickly. I was anxious to go. I wanted to see that beautiful raven-haired man again… "You've got to stop worrying so much. I'll be home soon, okay? I promise." Sauli sighed and nodded, letting his grip on my shoulders fall. I smiled, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "I love you, Sauli," I told him and a smile pulled the corner of his lips upward.

"I love you too, kiddo," he said and although I hated when he called me "kiddo", I just grinned and darted out of the cave, my tail propelling me quickly through the salt water. I'm sure Sauli had started to say something else but I was out of that cave faster than any other mermaid could swim. I took pride in just how strong my tail was. It was quite impressive, not to sound conceited.

On my way to the surface, I passed one mermaid who Sauli didn't like much. He was one of the only male mermaids I knew besides Sauli and myself. Males in our species were rare and generally a male and dozens of female mates for reproductive purposes. My father fell in love with my mother and decided she was the only one for him. Sauli and I don't particularly like women much. Usually, even when seducing humans, we preferred boys. Girls were just too noisy and too hard to please. A boy was happy just to have a chance with a beautiful person.

"Drake?" Daniel said and I sighed, slowly to a stop, swishing my tail slowly just to keep from sinking or floating. "Is that you? I didn't think your keeper- I mean brother- let you off that tiny leash he likes to keep you on." Daniel, more or less, had a thing for me. He'd made it very obvious and he also got very… pushy about it. Reason number one why Sauli didn't like him.

"You don't have to be so upset just because he loves me and your older sister doesn't even like to be around you," I said defensively. I wasn't Daniel's biggest fan, either. He got far too hands-y with me when I didn't want that kind of attention from he. He looked at me like a beautiful boy to satisfy his needs, but I didn't want to be that for him.

"I'm not upset that my bitch sister doesn't stick around, I'm upset that your over-barring brother is swimming in between us," he said, swimming over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, his hands resting over the top of my tail, right where my bum was. Fucker.

"Get off of me, Daniel. We aren't together because of Sauli, we aren't together because you're disgusting and you're a pig and quite frankly, I don't want you touching me," I told him, putting my hands on his chest and forcing him back away from me. I was small, but I was hard to handle and I was feisty, both in sex and in fighting. "You have a one tracked mind and you don't stop to think that I _don't_ want to have sex with you."

"Of course you do, baby, you just don't realize you want it yet because your brother treats you like a fucking child. Have you ever even had sex before?" he questioned, eyebrows arching some and my eyes widened in anger.

"Yes, Daniel, I have had sex, a lot of sex, not that it's any of your business. It has nothing to do with being a virgin; it has everything to do with how horrible of a person you are! And even if I was a virgin, I'd _never_ give myself to you!" I exclaimed and he smirked a little.

"I know you've had sex, with humans, but have you ever had sex under the surface of the sea? With another mermaid?" he asked and I paled under my sun-soaked skin. Actually no, I hadn't ever had sex with another mermaid. I'd never had sex under the ocean's surface. I knew when a mermaid was extremely aroused, his or her tail would split down the middle, revealing the hidden sex organs. It'd only ever happened to me once and I hadn't really understood it at the time. I was young, fifteen perhaps, and my tail splitting in two scared me more than anything else. Sauli had to calm me down and help me with my issue… "I'll take that as a no," he mumbled, smirking at me.

Anger flared in my eyes. "Fuck _off_, Daniel!" I shouted at him and zoomed off towards the surface again. He started to swim after me, but I was much faster. I was smaller in size but my tail was stronger, making it much easier for me to swim quickly and gracefully through the water. He couldn't dream of keeping up.

My head broke the surface, the sun quickly drying the water from my face. My hair was long, thick and lush, so it didn't dry very easily, but it did start to warm instantly. I sighed, trying not to dwell much on what Daniel had said, but it did bother me some. Mermaids were meant to make love under the ocean and I never had. Was there something wrong with me? Even more so, I wanted to take up a romance with a human. There had to be something wrong with me…

Sighing, I slowed my pace, figuring that Daniel hadn't followed me. I surely would have lost him a while back. I shook my head, not wanting to dwell much on what that ass had said. He didn't matter and neither did his words. There wasn't anything wrong with me…

I stopped swimming at a large boulder that jutted out of the water about a quarter of a mile away from the shore Sauli and I hunted on. I propped myself up on it, resting my chin in my hands, my elbows on the rocks and my tail still slowly swishing through the water behind me. The sun felt amazing on my exposed skin, the sun kissing it with greatly appreciated warmth. It was one of the things I loved most about the surface, considering deep in the sea was usually rather chilly if not plain cold. Mermaids were built to deal with low temperatures but the warmth always felt better.

My eyes slipped shut and I was honestly just enjoying the feel of the sun on my back and in my hair. A soft song was flowing from my lips. I always sang when I was happy. It was more than just a tool for seducing poor souls, it was something that made me feel worthwhile, something that brought me peace and comfort. When I was lost in my own little world, not much could bring me back from it.

I must have been sitting like that for hours, just singing to myself. The soft sound of the sea along with birds overhead and my own soft voice brought me peace and comfort, enough to put me into a state of half sleep. It wasn't really until I heard the swishing of water coming towards me that I was brought back from my peaceful state. It was too loud for it to be my own tail or the natural sound of the current. It sounded more like someone swimming towards me and, at first, I was worried it was Daniel, but I was very surprised to see that is was the raven-haired human, his bright blue eyes staring at me with a mixture of what I assumed to be awe, wonder, confusion and curiosity.

For a moment, I considered pushing off the rock and swimming home. I didn't think he saw my tail, because he was on the wrong side of the rock. I wasn't worried about that so much as the fact that a human was approaching me. I wanted to befriend this particular human. Hell, I wanted a lot more than to be his friend but Sauli didn't want me around humans when I was alone. He would probably be extremely upset if he found out that I was willing trying to build a relationship with one.

The dark haired man came right up to the boulder and he stared up at me, his bright, round blue eyes reflecting in my own. I smiled at him, a perfect, pearly smile that he seemed to swoon at. "Hello…" I whispered and he was silent for a moment, seeming almost hypnotized by the sound of my voice alone.

I waited for several minutes before he finally smiled and blinked at me. "I was looking for shells when I heard a song and I looked out to find a beautiful boy propped up against this rock. I was… too intrigued to stay away," he said. "I was curious."

I couldn't fight the little smirk. "Curiosity can be a dangerous thing," I told him. "Fortunately for you, I'm not all that terrifying," I added, my smirk fading back into a warm smile. He chuckled quietly, staring up at me from his place in the water. Only his head and the very top of his shoulders were visible and I could see dozens and dozens of freckles scattered across his skin. They were so adorable… Up close, this man was even more beautiful.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly.

I cocked a brow at him. "Who are you?" I repeated to him and he grinned.

"The name's Adam," he said. "A very common name, unfortunately, but it's the one I was given," he added, leaning against the rock some. "I came out to find out who this mysterious boy on the rock was… And surely you cannot be human. Your voice and your body are far too beautiful. So… who and what are you?"

I blinked down at him, amazed at how accurate he really was about me without actually knowing how accurate he was. My tail swished very slowly through the water behind me. "I'm just a boy, Adam," I told him, smiling. "That's all."

"Liar," he said, pushing himself up the rock a bit so we were almost face-to-face. "Humans are not to… perfect… So breathtaking and so… So mysterious."

"Mysterious? Just because a boy goes for a swim and decides to sing quietly to himself, he's mysterious?" I questioned, a soft smile still tugging at my lips.

"There's something more about you…" he whispered and once again I cocked a brow at him, as if egging him on. He smiled. "You've been in the ocean for God only knows how long, yet you aren't pruned or water logged… You do not smell of intense salt or of the ocean really at all. You look as if you've just stepped from a day of pampering, but I'm sure you've been out here for hours. You certainly are not, by any means, normal. Especially your voice. You sing like an angel…"

I actually felt my face heat up some. "An angel? Hardly…" I muttered, my stomach knotting just a bit with guilt. If this man, Adam, knew half of the things I'd done to his fellow humans… He would mark me as a monster, surely. _No_, I couldn't assume that. I would just be labeling him like Sauli did for all humans. Perhaps he would understand that I'm not a monster, I'm just trying to do what I need to for survival, like he does with the animals that walk the earth. Isn't a human nothing more than a more beautiful and more advanced animal? It was just the circle of life… But for this man? I would turn the world upside to be with him. "I'm just a boy," I told him and he smiled at me, leaning up slowly so our lips were merely centimeters apart.

I could taste his breath on my tongue. He was breathing heavily and I swore I could hear his heartbeat. He tasted like mint and I wanted so badly to close the tiny bit of empty space and press my lips to his, but then a sharp cry came through the air.

"ADAM!" someone screamed from shore and Adam's head shot around to look at the source of the offending noise. I couldn't help the disappointed feeling groping at my heart. How many times had I longed and lusted for the boy, just to have him ripped away at the last second?

I half expected to see Adam's lover, the small blonde, standing on shore, but he wasn't there. In his place was another blonde, about the same size as Adam's mate, but a little bit better looking. "I'm sorry…" Adam muttered quietly, turning back to me quickly. "I need to go…" My disappointment was heavy in my eyes. He must have seen it. "Will I see you again?" he sounded hopeful and my heart sputtered softly.

"I'm here a lot of the time. I like it. I'm sure you'll be seeing me around, Adam," I told him and he grinned at me, his smile as beautiful as any mermaid's. "Until next we meet." He nodded, still smiling and turned to swim away. The minute he did, I jumped back into the water, feeling my heart spinning out of control.

Watching from under the surface, I saw Adam turn back to me and my super sensitive hearing picked up what he was saying. "Wait! What's your name…?" But he noticed I wasn't there anymore.

"Drake," I whispered, watching him for a minute more before I turned to head home.


	7. I Give You All A Boy Could Give You

**Chapter Seven: I Give You All A Boy Could Give You**

**Adam's POV**

I had been shell-hunting along the shoreline when I heard the voice. It was cool, pure and raw, like that of an angel, emitting from the overlapping and frothy waves of the ocean. It soared high into the air, gusting over the wind as blew through my hair, touching my skin and sending shivers down my spine. Like a million microscopic feathers tickling my senses. I felt a smile pull at my lips as I straightened my stance, clutching the shells in my palms, letting the song roll around me like a blanket.

This wasn't the first time I'd heard one of the many songs of the ocean. This wasn't the first time I had been rendered speech and thoughtless as the song's beauty overpowered me. I let my eyes slip shut as the words fluttered around me, pulling at my lips a little more. There was a sense of warmth and well-being that filled me from within. Like hope and serenity.

The first time I'd heard a song from the ocean, I had been nine years old. My parents, little brother and I had just moved to this little island away from the mainland, and were settling in a house that we had purchased. My mother and father told me to go and play with my little brother, Neil, while they worked on bringing all of our belongings up the stairs that were set into the dune slope of the island and to the house itself. I could remember that I was skipping rocks while Neil played in the sand and I'd heard it.

The melody had sent shivers down my spine, much like the one I heard now was doing. They always did this to me. I remembered that I had let myself fall back into the sand, merely caught up listening to the purity. The voice then was different from the one now, but if I had to compare the two I would have difficulty. They were both sweet and gentle. Songs of calm and peace…

I opened my eyes, pulling myself from the memory of my nine year-old-self to retreat to that of my twenty-nine year-old-self. The glimmering blue of the oceans waves with the golden touch of the afternoon sun painted an expression of utter joy across my face. The song continued to spin itself around me, filling me with its warmth and sincerity. I stared out at the glowing waters, watching the waves falling over one another, listening and listening.

In the distance I could see a rock. A small little rock, probably about a quarter of a mile or less away from the watery shoreline. The light of the sun and the waters made it look black, but something drew me to that rock. Something whispered in my ear, telling me to go. Go to that rock. I bit down on my bottom lip, dropping the shells into the sands before tugging my shirt off, letting the fabric fall beside the forgotten findings.

Rolling my pants up around my knees, I hurried out to the water, the cool waves lapping around my ankles before I dove in, relishing in the refreshing wash of cold to my warm skin. I smiled as I pushed through the waves, the sound of the song almost intensified beneath the surface. The words were clearer, smoother, and gentler than they had been above and I felt my heart pound in my chest as I kicked my legs through the water, gliding through the blue.

I pushed myself through the ocean, occasionally coming to the surface to take a breath before diving back under again. I'd spent so many of my days in the sea that the salt didn't burn nearly as bad as it had before. Sure, it still stung like nothing else, but it was tolerable now. I came up, taking another deep breath before sinking below again, swimming effortlessly towards the rock.

The closer I got to it, the more the song faded, and I had wondered for a moment if I had gone the wrong direction. If, by chance, the song was somewhere else and I was swimming to a rock for no reason. But when I broke the surface again, I saw the glimpse of a man— a boy, really— perched up on the stone, watching me as I swam closer and closer.

When my hands touched the smooth stone, I broke the surface again, my hair slicked back against my skull as I looked up at him. His skin was tanned from the sunlight, his hair a rich brown that had been kissed by the sun to make it look almost golden. He had full, perfect Cupid's bow lips that were quirked up into the tiniest, cutest smile I had ever seen in a boy before they pulled back to reveal perfectly pearly-white teeth. I forgot, for a moment, why I had come out here simply because I was dazzled by this smile. By the mere beauty of this boy.

"Hello," he said gently and I felt my throat clench as my heart kicked up and lodged itself within the tight cavern. God, he was so beautiful… I wanted to say hello back to him. I wanted a conversation, but I couldn't fathom the simplest word in my head. I blinked once, smiling like a fool before spewing the first few words that came from my mouth.

"I was looking for shells when I heard a song and I looked out to find a beautiful boy propped up against this rock. I was… too intrigued to stay away," I said, briefly wanting to shove my foot into my mouth for not even gracing this beautiful angel with a polite hello before I continued, "I was curious…"

The boy smirked a little before speaking in his quiet and cool voice, "Curiosity can be a dangerous thing," he told me. "Fortunately for you, I'm not all that terrifying," the smirk was replaced by a wash of a gentle smile and I leaned close to the rock, staring up at him.

"Who are you?" I asked. The boy chuckled and repeated my question, raising an eyebrow at me and I grinned like an idiot. "The name's Adam," I said. "A very common name, unfortunately, but it's the one I was given. I came out to find out who this mysterious boy on the rock was… And surely you cannot be human. Your voice and your body are far too beautiful. So… who and what are you?" I inquired, smiling warmly up at him.

"I'm just a boy, Adam. That's all," he said and I chuckled.

"Liar," I accused with a smile, pulling myself up onto the rock a little bit more so that we were face to face some. Up close like this, the boy was even more beautiful than before. I had an urge to reach up and touch his skin, run my fingers through his hair. I wanted to kiss him, even… My heart kicked and I smiled a little more. "Humans are not so… perfect. So breathtaking and so… so mysterious," I told him, and he smiled a little.

"Mysterious? Just because a boy goes for a swim and decides to sing quietly to himself, he's mysterious?" He questioned.

"There's something about you," I admitted, glancing at the sharp lines of his jaw and the definition of his cheekbones, watching the blush wash across his cheeks. "You've been in the ocean for God only knows how long, yet you aren't pruned or water logged… You do not smell of intense salt or of the ocean really at all. You look as if you've just stepped from a day of pampering, but I'm sure you've been out here for hours. You certainly are not, by any means, normal. Especially your voice. You sing like an angel.." I told him, watching a smile dance across his lips as his blush deepened. God, this boy was so beautiful…

'_Don't, Adam. You have a boy that you care about. A boy that you love and is waiting for you at home. If he finds out that you're out here in the middle of the ocean with some other boy— granted, he's absolutely breathtaking— he'll be crushed…_' I thought to myself as the brunette in front of me chuckled, glancing away for a moment.

"An angel? Hardly…" He said shyly and I smiled more, my gaze drifting to his lips. They looked soft and sweet, pulled up at the corners to form a beautiful, perfect smile. I leaned closer, trying to control the kick of my heart and the ragged edge of my breath. The boy's eyes watched mine before dropping to my mouth, leaning in with me. I could taste him on my lips, almost. The crisp, clean and raw taste of the ocean. The mystery there that I wanted to know..

'_Adam…think about Eric, don't do this…_'

God, he was so beautiful though…

"_Adam!_" Someone shouted from the shore and I whipped around, staring across the vast expanse of the sea. On the sands I could see a short figure, a blond about the same height as Eric. But I knew, immediately, that it was not my boy. It was someone else. Someone very familiar, and he was clutching my shirt in his hand.

I sighed softly, muttering sadly, "I'm sorry," I turned to the boy, "I have to go." The look of disappointment was clear in his eyes and I felt guilty that I had to be the bearer of bad news. It wasn't right to see such a solemn look on his face, but I couldn't take it back. "Will I see you again?" I asked, sounding hopeful.

"I'm here a lot of the time. I like it. I'm sure you'll be seeing me around, Adam," the boy said and I grinned ear to ear at him, feeling my heart kick in my chest as he chuckled, "Until next we meet." I nodded once, turning away to start heading back. I heard a soft splash behind me when a thought occurred that made me turn around.

"Wait! What's your name—" I began, but when I whipped back around the boy was gone, and I felt a heavy weight settle over my shoulders. Such a beautiful boy… and I didn't even get the chance to know his name first.

"_Adam_!" Another shout sounded from the shore and I sighed, dipping back under the surface of the water before kicking off against the rock, swimming quickly back to the shore. It didn't take long, but it felt longer than when I had been swimming out to the rock. This time I was leaving the song and the beauty, and I was returning back to reality. I didn't want to, but I knew that I had to.

I broke the surface, trudging through the wet sand of the shore before smiling over at Tommy, my best friend. He was clutching my shirt, his pants rolled around his knees and his own shirt and vest hanging loosely off of his shoulders. My smile and easy swag would have stayed had I not see the serious expression on his face. There was a tone of despair in his eyes and I frowned, taking my shirt back.

"Tommy?" I murmured gently, but Tommy just looked away. His blond hair, shaved on both sides with the middle overgrown and hanging in a thick curtain to the right— a strange style that was often not accepted by many— was blowing gently in the breeze. His chocolaty eyes were grave and hard. "Tommy, what is it?"

"You need to go home. Now." He told me and I frowned further. Had something happened to the house while I was away? Oh, God… had something happened to Eric?

"What— why? Tommy, what happened—" Tommy shook his head, pressing his hands to my salt-water slicked shoulders, pushing me down the shoreline towards the dune with the stairs that led up to my home on a small hill.

"Go, Adam! Go, now, I can't… Go…" He told me. I was frightened, but I nodded once and raced down the shore. Tommy was never one to be this upset. This worried and distraught. Fear clung to my stomach and my chest as my feet pounded and sunk through the dry, hot sand. All joy and warmth of meeting that strange and beautifully perfect boy on the rock was gone as I ran.

My mind was flashing with possibilities. Had something happened to the house? Had it been raided? Burned? Destroyed? Had it been infested? Had someone gone in and attacked Eric? Had someone hurt my baby while I was away, selfishly spending time to myself in the hopes of hearing a song from my childhood? I panted heavily, hurrying down the shore before skidding through the sands and climbing the stone stairs that were set into the side of the tiny hill.

I was shaking as I reached the top, running up along the sandy path and to the front doors of the house. It was two stories, built of strong brick and washed white. There was a balcony that faced the ocean, French doors that led into my bedroom. I hurried around to the front double doors, pushing them open and sliding into the grand foyer. Marble floors were slick beneath my feet as I gasped heavily. The crystal chandelier glimmered above in the afternoon light and I turned, racing up the red cherry staircase that led to the second floor.

The pounding in my ears made it hard to hear at first, and I frantically called for Eric as I raced down a long hallway, turning a corner before I heard a strange sound. A sound that I knew well enough to come from within myself, but never had expected to hear elsewhere. I slowed to a stop as I neared the end of this turn with my bedroom doors just across the way from me. They were cracked open slightly, the vignette of the French doors and the ocean beyond. I inhaled slowly, trying to catch my breath when the strange sound went from muffled to clear, and I heard moans.

I frowned deeply, hearing soft, masculine grunts followed by feminine whines, and I felt my heart lurch painfully. I reached out, pushing the large doors open and letting them swing wide. The heavy wood was pushed away and the moans were loud, thrumming wild in my ears and I gasped softly. I couldn't understand. It wasn't fathoming itself in my mind but when I stepped into the room and turned my head to the left to stare at the four-poster bed, my world crashed around me.

He was there with his luscious blond hair and beautiful lithe body. His hands were splayed wide and cupped around soft breasts, squeezing and massaging them. His hips were pressed to another set, pale and bony with toned thighs tucked against his waist, calves and ankles locked around his back. The spine of a woman with fire red hair was arched in pleasure and the face was painted like a whore.

His face was written in ecstasy. Purchased ecstasy. This was no act of passion spawned from love and need. This was cold, dirty, whorish sex spurned by lust and greed and I watched with horror as my love, my Eric pounded into a whore in my own bed. I faltered back a step, leaning heavily against one of the doors as Eric's face wrote release for itself, the screams of the whore ringing in my ears like mocking laughter.

Eric shivered, holding himself up as her legs fell away and he pulled out, sitting back on his shins as he stared down at her. I was silent, my heart lodged up in my throat as he turned his head, unfathomed by the fact that I, his lover, was present to his act of adultery. I expected a look of shock, regret, hurt and the string of excuses and apologies to come pouring from his lips. I expected him to hurl himself from the bed and into my arms, telling me that he was drunk, this was a fluke and he was mine, only mine…

What I got in reality was a smirk and a soft, cruel "Hello, Adam."

I blinked once, twice, trying to clear away the image that was before me. A spent whore and my lover with a smug look on his face like he'd won some grand prize. But no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I willed it to go away, it didn't. If anything, Eric's grin grew larger and larger the more the realization began to set in.

"What's the matter, Adam? Don't like what you see?" He said softly, his voice sugary-sweet and delicate. I gasped softly, staring in disbelief at him.

"W-what…? I.. I don't understand…" I whispered, forcing the words from my throat. They were stuck there with the breath that seemed to not want to expel itself from my lungs. Eric clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he pulled himself from the bed, grabbing his trousers and pulling them on quickly.

"What is there to not understand, Adam?" He questioned and I glanced over at him, shaking from head to toe.

"I… Why, Eric..? Why?" I shouted at him, feeling the sting of tears welling in my eyes. Eric sighed, rolling his eyes as he pushed his hair out of his face, resting his hand on his hip.

"Why, Adam? Because I was bored," he said simply, staring at me like this was a well-known fact amongst many. "I was bored with you and I wanted something else," I choked softly, looking away from him. His words were buzzing around my head but I couldn't hold them down long enough to understand them in the least. Bored? Something else?

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice cracked with pain, on the edge of shattered. Eric sighed again.

"Wake up, Adam!" He hissed at me. "This thing, whatever the hell it was you thought we had? It's over! I'm bored! You. Bore. Me. You and your silly romance and strawberry picnics and, my _God,_ do you ever shut up when you're awake?" If I wasn't already leaning against a wall for support, I would have taken a step back into one. Eric stared at me with an eyebrow cocked and a hand on his hip.

"I..I loved you… I loved you and I wanted to be with you! I thought… I thought that's what you wanted, too.." I told him, feeling the tears welling thick and heavy, threatening to spill over at any moment. Eric scoffed.

"You think I loved you in return? Seriously, Adam? I picked you up at the tavern in town because you were beautiful and easy, and you had one hell of a dick. I only stuck around and put up with your dates and your stupid serenading so you would fucking man up and stick your fucking cock in me. Now that I've had it, I'm done. I don't want your gooey romance fantasy on this Godforsaken shit of land, and I certainly don't want you."

My heart slammed itself into my head, making my ears ring. I was shaking like a leaf and having a hard time managing to stay up on my feet, even with the wall. I barely registered the whore dressing and leaving and Eric's soft lips stealing one last kiss before his hand latched to my shoulder. He gave me a rough shove and my knees failed. I collapsed to the marble floor of my bedroom, shaking violently as grief washed over me.


	8. You Don't Know Me

**Chapter Eight: You Don't Know Me, You Don't Know…  
>Drake's POV<strong>

The day after meeting Adam out at that rock, I went back to the surface after arguing with Sauli about it for a long time. He didn't want me making a habit of going up every day, but I was old enough to make decisions for myself, so he couldn't very easily stop me without having to deal with Hell from me for the rest of the day.

I was anxious to see Adam again, wanting so badly to taste that mint on my tongue again. I swore I swam twice, no, three times as fast as I normally would have to get to the surface, but when I got there, I didn't see anyone on the shore. My heart plummeted a little, but surely Adam would come down eventually. He was always on the beach or in a little rowboat. It was like he needed to be near the ocean at least once a day. He would come, I was sure.

I waited and I waited, but the raven-haired beauty never came. I waded into shore and pulled myself from the water to walk the beach for a while, but still, he never came. It wasn't until the sun went down that I gave up. I knew that Sauli would be angry with me if I stayed any later, so I dove back into the water sadly. It was like my heart was breaking a little more every minute I lived without the sight of that man. He was my addiction and I hardly even knew him but I didn't feel ashamed for wanting him so badly. It was more like some sort of higher power was pushing me towards him.

"I'll come back tomorrow, Adam…" I muttered towards the inlands of the island before I dove back into the ocean again, swimming as quickly as I could back towards the cove that my brother and I resided in. But no matter how much I pushed myself, it was like I couldn't swim nearly as fast to get back to Sauli. I just wasn't as excited to see him because I was with him every day and, while we loved each other, we didn't love each other the way lovers would. It just wasn't the same…

"Drake, you promised me you would be home before dark!" Sauli hissed the minute I swam into the cave. I sighed, flopping down on the pads of seaweed and moss that made up our bed and stared up at him, preparing all of my usual bull shit excuses. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time", "I was distracted on the swim back", "I ran into a mermaid who wanted to talk", "I left the surface at sunset, it just gets dark down here earlier", you know, the usual.

"I'm sorry, Sauli, I left when the sun went down. I just forget that it gets—" I started but he cut me off, extremely angry with me, it seemed.

"Don't, Drake, just don't even give me those bull shit excuses. I know you didn't care about being back before it got dark. I know you think you're an adult and you can do whatever you want to do, but you _can't_. You're still a child in so many ways and I respect that you want to be independent but can you just listen to me for once in your life? I left you go and wander the surface against my better judgment because it makes you happy! You could, at the very least, do me the kindness of being home on time! I don't want to keep you on a short leash, Drake, but if I have to, I will!" Sauli half lectured and half shouted at me. Even though it was an entire lecture, it seemed to all come at me at once, like I couldn't absorb each individual word as it came to me but tried to take it all in at once and I just couldn't.

"Sauli… I'm sorry…" I whispered, not wanting to argue with him even though I felt like he was seriously belittling me. I hated when he got like this, when he decided to act like my father instead of my brother and kind-of-lover. "I didn't mean to be so late. I lost track of time and I just couldn't book it home fast enough. I'm sorry…" I wasn't looking at him. Usually if I looked upset, he would lighten up on me and I prayed that this was one of those times. "I'm sorry…"

Sauli sighed and he glided through the water, perching himself next to me on the bed. "Baby, I'm sorry I snapped at you, I just want you to take my worrying seriously. I need to have you home before dark because I _need_ to know that you're alright. I have to know that nothing bad has happened to you," he said to me and I frowned up at him, hurt and a tad bit of annoyance swimming in my eyes. It upset me when Sauli was upset with me, but it annoyed me that he treated me like such a small child all the time.

"What do you think is going to happen?" I huffed, crossing my arms over my bare chest and looking away from him when I saw the fear, anger and sadness swim into his bright blue eyes.

"Drake, humans who do bad things do them after the sun sets. They think that they can get away with things in the cover of the night. Bad things happen in the dark and I don't want something bad to happen to you… If you were caught up in a fishing net or you were taken advantage of by a sailor just because he wanted you and thought he should be allowed to have you…" he said, slowly snaking his arms around me. I froze, going a little tense at first. "If something happened to you and I wasn't there to protect you, I'd never forgive myself."

"I can take care of myself…" I mumbled, still not looking at him.

He sighed, his fingers running through the hair that sloshed around my head. "I know you can, baby, I know, but please, please understand that you are still young… And you're very desirable. Some people will harm you and you may not always be ready for it. I respect your love for beautiful things and that you like being on the surface, just please don't make me restrict you going up there. I want you home before dark, okay? Please?" he asked, bringing me closer and petting my hair gently. I sighed, relaxing in his arms and curling into him a little.

"Okay, Sauli, I'll be home before dark, I promise," I whispered, resting my head on his bare shoulder, purring softly as he pet me gently. "But I'm going back up to the surface tomorrow, just so you know…"

I felt Sauli tense around me for a moment. "Is this going to be an everyday thing, Drake?" he asked and even without looking up at his face, I could hear the frown in his face. "I don't think that you going up every day is a good idea…"

"As long as I'm home before sunset, Sauli, that's what you said," I mumbled and he sighed deeply, mumbling a soft agreement.

"But if you keep coming home late, I won't let you go up for anything other than hunting, am I clear?" he asked and I knew there was absolutely no point in arguing with him, so I simply nodded, sighing into his skin. His arms tightened around me a little, protectively almost and I knew he wasn't happy with me, but he did love me, so he was going to have to deal with my stubbornness.

And the next day, I did go back to the surface. I waited, again, all day for Adam to come down to the beach. I even roamed around some of the land past the beach, hoping to run into Adam, but I didn't run into anyone. I neared the large house and I could have sworn I heard sobbing from deep within it, but I couldn't really be sure. I stretched my time as long as I possibly could, but there was no sign of Adam and I had to depart for home before the sun went down.

The next day I repeated the same process and for four more days after that but there was never a sign of Adam. I met a few boys and even a girl on the beach, but I never saw a sign of Adam. I seduced one of the boys for a meal simply because I was beginning to starve, but other than that, I didn't have much interaction with any humans.

By the end of the sixth day without seeing Adam, I was seriously worried. What would be keeping Adam from the ocean when he normally came to visit it every day? Every time I went to the surface, he was there and now he never was. Part of me was beginning to worry that something awful had happened to him. Did he drown? No, surely not. I would have seen the body or heard other mermaids bragging about the food they had found without having to work for it. Perhaps his home was broken into or his lover was killed? Something must have been keeping him away and the more I let my mind wander, the more and more gruesome the scenarios in my imagination became. Soon I was starting to fear that he was dead and that I would never see him again.

Sauli must have been noticing my strange behavior and attitude, because when I returned home on the sixth day, he wrapped his arms around me instantly and pulled me into a tight hug, forcing out bodies together. I didn't fight him. I just didn't have the will to do so because I was so heartbroken over what might have been happening to Adam.

"Baby? What's the matter? What's been going on?" he asked me and I just shook my head, thankful that he couldn't really seem my face in the position he had me in because I felt like I might start crying. "Drake…?"

"Nothing, Sauli, what makes you think something's happening?" I asked, but I already knew that Sauli had been sensing something was wrong for days now. "I'm fine…"

"You're lying to me, Drake. I know you better than anyone else and I definitely know when something has you upset or has been bothering you. Now what's going on? Please talk to me…" he whispered, his arms tightening securely around my waist, as if to silently tell me 'I'm here for you and I'm not letting go of you until you tell me what's going on'. "Please talk to me, Drake… Please?"

"Sauli, really, it's nothing. All the extra swimming has just got me tired, that's all. I'm just tired…" I mumbled into the skin of his chest.

"I really don't believe you but if it's making you that tired, I want you to stay home tomorrow," he said to me and I forced a very weak chuckle.

"Probably not," I mumbled and closed my eyes. "I'll be fine, Sauli… I promise…" I whispered but it was an empty promise. If I didn't find out what was happening to Adam and why I hadn't seen him, I was sure I was going to go crazy. I couldn't believe I cared so intensely for someone I barely even knew but it was just something in my heart… Something in my was just telling me that Adam was the one and not being able to get closer to him was absolutely frustrating and somewhat terrifying.

"I never truly win with you, do I?" he asked and I cracked a little smile into his skin, shaking my head. He sighed softly. "I suppose, if I ever did win with you, you'd actually tell me what's wrong…" But I didn't. I couldn't tell him about Adam. I couldn't tell him I was in love with a human I hardly knew. I just couldn't tell him something like that.

It would have broken my brother's heart to hear something like that fall from my lips.


	9. I Guess It Is What It Is

**Chapter Nine: I Guess It Is What It Is…**

**Sauli's POV**

Watching Drake, day by day, visibly become more and more somber and quiet was seriously beginning to worry me.

Drake wasn't one to be depressed, unless I've told him he couldn't go to the surface. Usually, even with the few visits that I allowed before for him, Drake would come home light and happy, full of smiles and stores of what he'd seen. Sometimes he would tell me of the way the sunlight kissed the waters and how the wind felt in his hair. Sometimes he would bring home seashells and interesting and forgotten artifacts to show me. Sometimes he would speak of the surface as if I had never been there, and his descriptions were so vivid and real…

But now? Now Drake was lifeless and silent. He was going up to the surface every day, spending all the hours of daylight and coming down looking gloomier and gloomier with each setting of the sun. He was never like this, even on the days where there was little to be talked of, he was so happy. Now he was dead. The energy had faded from his eyes and I knew that there was something disappointing him. Every morning, he would leave with this hopeful look on his face and every evening he came back just deflated.

I tried to get him to talk to me and tell me what was wrong. I tried to hold him and comfort him. I tried coaxing the problems out but nothing was working. He sealed himself off from me, locking away his worries more and more. Each day he was confining himself from me. On the surface, I was worried about him. But below everything, I was frustrated. Frustrated with him and with myself. Part of me wanted to keep him from going to the surface until he talked to me, but I knew that such an order would just depress him further.

I had to wonder, though, if maybe the reason he was so depressed was because he was suffering loneliness. Sure, I lived with him and loved him like any brother would and even more than a brother should, but I knew Drake. He longed a relationship. He longed the different and exotic comfort of a mate. Someone who made him feel alive and feel complete. Someone who wasn't related to him…

But if it was just a relationship issue, why would Drake want to keep it from me? Sure, I was never really a fan of the boys who tried to court my baby brother, simply because I knew they only wanted him for sexual desires, but they were not all bad. There were some that were charming and sweet enough. However, if it was a relationship issue and it was because of that tail snatching Daniel, then maybe I could understand why he wouldn't want to talk about it. But Drake with Daniel? Never. Drake has just as much of a distaste for Daniel as I did. There was no way it could be about Daniel.

However, just because it wasn't Daniel didn't mean it didn't eliminate the possibility of a relationship issue. I just couldn't imagine anyone that Drake would be interested it. We generally stayed away from most mermaids because they thought us strange. Not to mention, Drake and I seemed to have a tendency of attracting the perverts, and I had made it my life's mission when Drake was younger to keep those kinds of freaks away from him, and him from them. Sure, it labeled me as his guardian and over protective master, sometimes even crazy lover, but it meant he was safe…

Sighing heavily, I turned my head and stared down at Drake. He was sleeping soundly, looking at peace for the first time in days. I frowned a little, reaching up with my left hand to touch his cheek, caressing the skin gently. Drake didn't budge or even acknowledge that I was touching him. He was still, quiet, sleeping so deeply I probably could have shaken him and he wouldn't have stirred.

"What's going on in that head of yours, kiddo?" I whispered gently, running my fingers through his hair. I wanted to know what was keeping him from confiding in me, but I knew that my constant pestering of questions wasn't going to get me anywhere with him. Drake had picked up his stubbornness from me, considering I was the only one to raise him for the better half of his life, and no amount of interrogation was going to get him to crack. But that wouldn't stop me from trying.

"I wish you would talk to me," I continued, trailing my fingers down his cheek and along his lips. They parted softly and he sighed, curling up a little tighter, leaning into my touch. "I want to help you but you keep pushing me away. I don't know what to do, Drake… Why are you shutting me out like this?" It might have been strange that I was asking these questions to him while he was sleeping, but it didn't really matter if he was asleep or awake. He never answered them anyway.

"Did something happen while you were on the surface? Did you get hurt and now you're afraid to tell me? I won't be mad, baby… I'm just worried about you. I want you to talk to me so I can make things easier for you… I won't restrict you again, if that's what you're worried about. Just, please, Drake…" I murmured, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his hair. Again, he didn't stir.

Pulling away from my baby brother, I sighed heavily as I sat up. I stretched my arms above my head, feeling my spine pop in a couple of places. A satisfied groan fell from my lips and I pushed off from the bed, floating across the cave towards the shelves with the clothes that we owned. I snatched up a pair of black trousers, clutching them tightly as I turned and swam from the cave. Drake had told me that he'd fed recently, and considering I hadn't gone in several days, the pangs of hunger were starting to annoy me.

The swim up to the surface was long and tedious, borderline boring. Often I found them enjoyable, but those often occurrences were when I was with Drake. Since my brother was still sleeping and showed no signs of waking any time soon, I decided to venture out on my own, something I hadn't done it years.

_And for good reason_, I thought to myself, sighing heavily. The seashell necklace clung loosely around my neck, floating and bumping into my skin a little as I beat my tail through the waters, propelling myself forward and up. My head was spinning with the past few days and Drake's decreasing mood, but no matter what I tried to think of, none of it sounded like something that would put him in such a deep funk.

Breaking the surface, I gasped softly as morning sunlight kissed my hair and scalp, warming my face and shoulders a little. I glanced onward towards the shore, finding myself about a quarter of a mile out from the sandy land. Swimming forward, I took my time, leisurely pulling myself through the waves before finally letting the current just carry me along. In no time I was pulling myself up onto the sand, my trousers clenched between my teeth. My tail shifted quickly to my legs, and I stood in the water to clean the sand off before wringing out my pants and tugging them on.

Glancing up and down the shore, I could see no one, but my sensitive hearing picked up voices along the way to my left. Sighing softly, I began walking, passing seashells and the occasional rum bottle tucked in the sand as I went. The sun was warm, drying my hair quickly, soaking itself into my skin. I wasn't nearly as tan as Drake was, but I was tanner than most mermaids. Yet another thing that people thought us strange for.

Walking onward, I heard the voices growing louder and closer until I was passing by a small bonfire and a group of people. By myself, the group was too large to take on by myself. It would be nearly impossible to try and seduce one person out of a crowd of what looked to be six or seven people for a meal. They would all follow and it would be a disaster. So I kept walking, eyeing the people now and then.

There were three women and four men, all thin and well built with sun-kissed hair and skin. The women were dressed in ruffly skirts and corsets, their breasts full and practically falling out. They were seated in the laps of three of the men. The three occupied men were all brunettes with dark eyes, wearing white or grey shirts and black trousers, their bare feet sunk into the sand. The fourth and final man was a little shorter than the rest, tan and sandy blond with bright blue eyes. He was perched on a rock, a devilish smirk plastered upon his face. I turned my attention forward, pretending to be walking on by when in truth I was listening intently to their conversation.

"So what happened, exactly?" One of the brunette men asked the blond, and he threw his head back and let out a sinister laugh.

"It was classic, really… He came in all concerned like something was wrong before seeing that I was mounted and just pounding into this whore.. His face got all confused and hurt… He even started to cry, begging to know why, admitting that he loved me— I already knew that he did. Poor fool was head over heels for me.." I grimaced a little to myself, turning my head away and staring out at the ocean. This was why I hated humans… they were foul creatures, especially to one another.

"What did you tell him?" One of the women asked, and the sandy-blond male continued his gruel tale.

"He was crying, right? No— weeping, like a baby would, about how he wanted to be with me and how he thought I loved him in return. Me, love him? Never! I mean, look at him, really… Tall dark and handsome, a complete romantic with a fabulous build. Not to mention he was incredible in bed, but he was easy! He fell so hard and so fast… I had him twined around my fingers, eating out of my hand and kissing my ass… He even willingly got onto his knees to take my cock into his mouth before he ever got me into his bed…"

I quickened my pace, rushing away from the tale of this poor soul. I wasn't one to favor humans by any means, but to hear of them attacking one another in such an emotional fashion…? It made me sick. It made me loathe their existence further. They had no right to walk amongst this land and live the way they did when they preyed upon their own man, toying with his heartstrings.

Perhaps it was the resemblance of the poor fool's romantic side to Drake's soft and boyish charm that made my skin crawl. I wasn't sure, but there was a part of me that wanted to go back and tear them apart for their cruelty. But I kept on walking further down the shore, looking for someone who was alone. Someone who I could snatch away and seduce easily. Anything really to get my mind off of that poor soul with the broken heart.

Eventually I had to stop, and I leaned against a rock to catch my breath. My mind was spinning around the group of humans with their chatter and their cold words. I couldn't understand what was so fascinating about them to Drake. What was so appealing about this entire world. There was nothing for us here; for us mermaids. There was dirt, rock, sand and smoke. There was hate and crime and heartbreak.

An image of eyes— such cold, hateful eyes— flashed in my mind and I sighed heavily, pushing them away as best I could. Humans were foul, cruel beasts. But if they weren't cruel, they were gullible. They we were weak, easy as the blond had put it. They fell too quickly, loved too hard and hurt too much. They broke easily. They were fragile. Inferior and barbaric.

Licking my lips, I glanced up at the sky, the bright blues and puffs of white clouds high above my head. If there was one thing I had to agree with Drake about when it came to the surface, it was definitely the sky. While the so-called humanity was disgusting, the sky was beautiful.


	10. Without You the Eyes Gaze, the Ear Hears

**Chapter Ten: Without You the Eyes Gaze, the Ear Hears  
>Drake's POV<strong>

I knew Sauli was worried sick about me but I just couldn't tell him about my problems. He would just say something like "I told you, humans aren't worth your time, they aren't suitable mates and you should know that" or "Baby, why can't you listen to me? I'm only trying to keep you from getting hurt, which you obviously are" or "I'm sorry, baby, but you know that being in love with a human is almost pointless".

I didn't want to hear any of it.

It was late, about a week and a half of not seeing Adam and Sauli was curled up around me, his tail wrapped around mine. He was snoring softly in my ear, though it was more like a loud breathing really. I knew I should have been asleep too, but I just couldn't. It was well past midnight and it was definitely time for me to be asleep, but my mind was racing too quickly to even dream of sleeping.

Sighing quietly, I slowly and very, very carefully slipped from the bed of seaweed, leaving Sauli to curl up a little by himself. To my relief, he didn't wake up and silently I pushed through the water, barely flapping my tail to keep as quiet as possible. Once I was out of the cave and a little distance away, I started swishing my tail violently through the water, beating through the water to swim swiftly through the ocean's salty murk.

The further to the surface I got, the more I could tell that it was raining, maybe even storming gently. It wasn't too violent of a storm, not like the night my parents died, but I hesitated for a moment anyway. I was too terrified of that storm to go hunting with Sauli and my parents that night and since the events of that day, storms had always frightened me. Still, I forced myself to continue through the water, breaking the surface to see that it was raining. Fresh, cool droplets hit my face and hair. I could see lightning in the distance and faint thunder, nothing I couldn't deal with, although I would have preferred not to deal with the storm at all, even if it wasn't an intense one.

"Fuck!" I heard someone cry in the distance. "God d-damn it!" the voice slurred and I frowned a little, turning my head to find the source of the voice, but I couldn't see much because of the waves the storm was creating. The waves weren't really that intense, but they were enough to block my view from my surroundings.

Something smashed in the distance; something that sounded like glass shattering against something else that was hard enough to seriously hurt someone. It seemed to come from the same direction as the miserable, slurring tone.

"Why did you do t-this to m-me?" the man cried again and I wondered if this man was alone or actually talking to someone who was with him. To be this close, he must have been on a boat of some kind, but I couldn't see anything with the waves, so I dove back under the water, enough that I could see without the constant interruption of water splashing up in front of my face and crashing down over my head.

It was dark with nothing but the faint shining of the moon behind the clouds to supply light. Even my sensitive mermaid eyes couldn't pick up much in the black waters, but I did see something, a shadow perhaps and I took that as my best lead. The closer I got, the more I could hear what sounded like sobs or weeping. Another shattering sound rang out, the water vibrating more violently around the shaded area than the rest of the water. I swam closer and something splashed violently into the water, rushing right past my face on its way down to the ocean's floor.

After a few more feet, it slowed and started to rise back up to my level. I grabbed at the offending object to find that it was a liquor bottle. I'd never actually digested alcohol myself, but I knew what it could do to people. I'd seen many intoxicated humans get too wild, too violent or too stupid while under the influence of the vile drink. Alcohol also makes human blood taste disgusting and just the thought of the taste brought bile to the back of my throat. Why would someone be drinking liquor out in the middle of the ocean during a storm? That just seemed completely stupid and irresponsible, desperate even.

Maybe he was desperate…

"Damn it, Eric!" I heard someone shout from above me and my head shot up in the direction of the shadow, which I could now tell was a small row boat. Now that I was closer, and the vibrations of the water were easily bringing the voice to me (mermaid hearing was very unlike human hearing, water did not muffle sound, it intensified it). I knew the voice. It had been the one I'd been dreaming of for days and days, maybe even weeks. I'd lost track of time since the first time I saw him. _Adam…_

"Why w-would you fucking d-do this to me, you asshole?" he shouted again and I broke the surface next to the little finishing boat, staring up at the beautiful black haired man that I had fallen so deeply in love with. He had tears streaming down his face and he was hunched over his knees a little, his hair a complete mess and his eyes bloodshot, at least from what I could tell when they were actually open. His hair and clothes were soaked with rainwater but he really didn't seem to be caring a lot for himself.

There was another bottle clenched in his hand, still half full with amber colored liquid, rum probably. It seemed to be a popular drink among humans, especially ones who spent a lot of time near the ocean. I tasted it on a sailor's lips once, a very young sailor with bright blonde hair and pale green eyes to match. He had a thin frame and a pretty smile but he wasn't a very good fuck and he wasn't very filling either. He tasted strongly of the offensive liquid and I was a little crushed to see Adam resort to such a filthy way of release.

"Adam…" I muttered quietly and his head snapped in my direction, but he didn't even see me. Was he seriously that drunk? Well, he must have been to be slurring words, screaming, crying and shouting at people who weren't there and on a row boat away from shore while a storm was going on.

"Fuck you, Eric!" he cried again, bringing the rim of the bottle to his lips, swallowing several gulps at once and when he pulled the bottle away, he was gasping for breath, almost like he was trying to drown himself in rum. Was Eric that blonde I had seen him with on the beach last week? The boy I had been so jealous of but then deemed irrelevant?

I wanted to pull myself from the water and into his boat but I couldn't really without exposing to him what I was, not that he'd really remember once he was sober. He was far too drunk to remember much of what he was doing tonight. I wanted to pull that bottle away from him and wrap my arms around him. I wanted to hold him close and pet his hair, mutter soft, soothing things to him. I just wanted to tell him it would be all right and that I was going to be there for him no matter what. That I loved him even though we hardly knew each other, that I would be there for him and that I would love him even though this… This Eric man obviously threw him away like he didn't matter.

Adam curled in on himself, dropped the bottle to let it smash on the floor of the boat. I wondered how many bottles he'd actually been through tonight, at least four, the three smashes I'd heard and one bottle that almost hit me in the head. He was shaking with misery and sobs and all I wanted to do was pull him into my arms and kiss him until he was smiling.

After watching him sob for five, maybe ten minutes, I wasn't really sure, I was about to pull myself out of the water and climb up into the boat with him. I just couldn't stand to see him like this anymore but just as I started to reach out for the edge, Adam stood up, his knees shaking a little and the boat wobbling. He turned away from me and stared down at the water for a long time, sobs and whimpers falling from his lips.

"Fuck you, Eric…" he whispered. "I h-hope you're h-happy now!" And with that, he leaned forward, the boat starting to tip to his side. I reached up for the edge again, having every intention of grabbing the side and evening it out again so it didn't flip over, but Adam leaned forward some more, his back to me for just a moment before he dove heave first into the ocean. He was too drunk to swim, that much was very obvious, but something told me that he didn't have any intentions of going for a swim.

As quickly as he hit the water, I dove back under, watching the boat flip to make a hollow cabin against the surface of the water. Adam's body plunged down into the blackness of the water, his mouth wide open and his eyes squeezed shut. If I wasn't mistaking, he was breathing in the water, like he really did want to drown and I felt my heart crack in my chest and fall into pieces in the deepest pits of my being. He was hurt so badly he wanted to die? And I was helpless to make his emotional state any better.

But I could start with keeping him from drowning and succeeding in killing himself. I wouldn't watch this beautiful man fall to his death. It wasn't in me to watch the human I'd fallen so deeply in love with drown because he was intoxicated and heartbroken, so I zoomed towards him, wrapping my arms securely around his midsection. I whipped my tail furiously through the water, taking Adam up to the surface and towards the beach as quickly as possible. He wasn't really breathing and that was scaring the living shit out of me, and I pushed myself to swim faster than I really even knew I could. I tugged myself onto shore, laying Adam down on his back and pushing myself up to hover over him. My tail was fading but water was still hitting my legs, so the scaled remained in my skin.

"Adam, come on… Stay with me, please," I pleaded and put my ear to his chest. I could hear the water there and I knew I needed to force it out. I put both of my hands under his rib cage and pressed down several times. Water bubbled up from his mouth and I pressed down a few more times until he curled away from me and coughed, water spewing from his mouth.

Sighing, I lowered my head to listen to his chest again. I couldn't hear any water and a rush of relief filled me. Carefully, I picked him up again and took him up to the beach so he wouldn't be lying in the path of the tides later and I laid him down in the sand, pressing a cool, gentle kiss to his forehead.

"Please don't do anything like that again… I couldn't handle it," I whispered, but I knew he was half out of it. I kissed him gently, a few tears welling in my eyes because I knew I needed to leave but I didn't want to. "I love you…" I whispered against his lips and then I pushed myself up, several tears running down my cheeks.

I didn't want to leave, but if Sauli woke up and saw that I wasn't there… I'd be dead.

"Please be safe, Adam," I muttered quietly. "I'll be back during the day, I promise…" And with that, I took off across the beach again, sand flying up and hitting the back of my naked frame. I dove back into the water and swam as fast as I could to get back to the cave my brother and I shared, but I just wasn't fast enough.

When I got back, I swam in to see my brother up and looking furious and worried at the same time. When he heard me swim in, he turned to face me and his eyes rounded before the narrowed into dangerous slits. I'd only ever seen him like this once before and it wasn't a pretty sight. Thankfully that time, his anger was with someone else, but now I was terrified because he was angry with _me_. He never got angry with me, upset, sure, but angry? Never, not once.

That streak just ended and suddenly I was very afraid of my brother. Slowly, I backed away from him but in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of me, gripping both of my wrists tightly in his grasp, holding my hands between the little bit of water that was between us.

_"Where the fuck were you, Drake?"_


	11. Madness Has Now Come Over Me

**Chapter Eleven: Madness Has Now Come Over Me**

**Sauli's POV**

"_Where the fuck were you, Drake?_"

Drake's eyes were wide, the terror therein swimming clear as a bright and sunny day. My hands were curled around his wrists in a lock so tight it was a wonder that I wasn't breaking his wrists yet. His lips were parted in a soft gasp as he stared up at me. He was, no doubt, shocked that I had such rage toward him, but I had every reason for this. He deserved my fury.

"_Well!_" I hissed again, shaking him violently. Drake shivered, his mouth opening and closing as if he were trying to find the right words. But he was silent even as I pulled him further into the cave, shoving him down onto the edge of our bed. He sat obediently, staring down at the floor. There were red marks from where my hands had been around his wrists. Drake's eyes lifted slowly to meet mine and he looked so young and frail…

"I—I'm sorry, Sauli, I was just—" he began but I knew what excuse was coming. He couldn't sleep. He needed to stretch. He thought he heard something and went to investigate it. I'd heard them all about a thousand times before and I was sick of it. I didn't want to hear of it anymore.

"No, Drake! I don't want your useless apologies! I gave you the freedom to go about on the surface as much as you wanted as long as it was still _daylight_. It's well beyond that. It's so dark you can't see five feet in front of you out there! Now— _where. Were. You._" Drake shrunk lower in his seat on the edge of the bed, looking away from me. I snarled, lashing out and grabbing his chin with my hand, clenching tightly as I lifted his head. "You _will_ look at me when I am talking to you!"

Drake's eyebrows twitched before drawing together in a frown. He tugged sharply out of my grasp, a look of what seemed to be disgust on his face. My heart was going a mile a minute between the initial shock and worry and then the absolute rage that I felt when I'd woken up. I'd heard a crack of thunder from the surface above and had risen from my sleep to find that Drake was gone.

I couldn't begin to imagine how long it was that I spent waiting for him. Each minute felt like eternity and I began to fear that maybe something had happened to him. With the storm outside, I wouldn't have been entirely surprised if he'd been thrown against a rock from the waves. If some crazy fisherman had caught him or some rogue mermaid thought he was easy and pinned him to the ocean floor… So many horrendous scenarios flooded my thoughts and made me ache.

I had mapped out so many images of my baby brother drenched in blood in my head that when he swam through the entrance of the cave, completely unharmed, I was speechless. I'd spent the better part of half an hour or more it had to have been worrying about his wellbeing. And then he came in completely fine and unharmed.

Needless to say I was caught between being relieved and almost disappointed. Relieved that my baby brother wasn't hurt. Disappointed that he wasn't because then it meant that there was no real and valid reason to why he was gone. And, naturally, I blew up.

"Sauli, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry! I just.. I had a lot on my mind and I needed a swim to get it all out, okay? I'm fine, Sauli!" Drake told me, trembling in my hold. I snarled again at him, dropping my hand before I crushed his jaw between my fingers.

"That's not excuse, Drake! I've told you time and time again that your visits to the surface were to be made during the day before it got dark! That doesn't mean that once it's after dark you can go out again! You are supposed to wait until it's light again! That was our agreement, Drake!" I shouted at him, flailing my arms a little to emphasize my point.

"I'm not hurt, Sauli!" Drake shouted back at me, his eyes narrowed in frustration at me. I clenched my jaw, dropping my arms to my sides. "I'm okay, Sauli! Really! One night swim isn't going to change all of that!" My teeth were pressed so hard together I thought I heard them cracking in my mouth.

"It's storming outside, Drake," I seethed. "You could have been tossed about and hurt and someone else would have found you and then what, Drake? Then what? I swear to God you don't even think half the time you do these things! You just act and jump the gone and one of these days it's going to get you killed!" Drake grew tense in front of me and he looked away again.

"You wouldn't understand, Sauli," he hissed and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What wouldn't I understand?" I snarled. "There are a lot of things I don't understand, Drake, like you're silly fascination with the Above. There's _nothing_ for you there! Nothing but dirt and tainted water and disgusting humans and _hate_, Drake. Humans _hate us!_" Drake's head whipped up so fast his hair flowed around his face like a cloud of elegant brown smoke. His eyes were wide with tears and rage and his voice rang through me louder than the loudest crack of thunder, more true that the truest truth.

"_He would have died if I hadn't been there!_" Drake screamed at me before something dawned on him, and he slammed his palm over his mouth. I froze, staring hard at him for the longest time. He? Who was "he"? I must have been gazing at my baby brother long enough for him to come back to himself.

"Oh, God, Sauli… No, Sauli, it's not what you—"

"A human…" I murmured. "A human. That's what this is all about, isn't it? This is about some stupid and useless human? God.._damnit, Drake!_" I howled, turning away from him. I should have known exactly what he was referring to the moment he let it slip from his lips. Drake had a fascination for the land, that was for sure. But he always favored the humans as well… Where I found them utterly repulsive, he saw them as a thing of beauty and mystery…

I whipped back around, staring down at Drake with rage boiling in my blood. All I could see was Drake and some human spitfuck too close for comforts. Some human touching my baby brother, running their greasy and filthy hands all over him like he was some goddamn prize… I had to fight the tremor of fury from shaking me entirely.

"You told me that you never came into contact with humans on these trips… How could you lie to me, Drake?" I snarled softly. "_How_ could you _lie _to me?"

"Because I knew you'd freak out like this!" Drake shouted back at me, tears beginning to well in his eyes. "And don't tell me that you wouldn't have freaked out any less, because I know you would have, Sauli! You always freak out when there's nothing to be so afraid of!" I bared my teeth at him, curling my hands into fists at my sides.

"I'm angry that you _lied_ to me! Do you understand that at all, Drake? It means I can't trust you! I can't trust that you're going to stay away from the humans now, and I thought that I could!" I shouted back at him, jerkily motioning towards the mouth of the cave as if out to the rest of the world. My heart was racing a mile a minute in my chest. The idea of Drake getting close to humans… Potentially talking with them and not seducing them for food or pleasure.. It sickened me.

"Then don't trust me!" Drake howled. "You already don't!"

"I want to, Drake! Believe me, I really want to be able to trust you! But you can't keep lying to me about where you're going and what you're doing!" Drake scoffed softly and rolled his eyes, looking away from me. Another spike of anger rushed through my blood but I bit my tongue, forcing my comments back.

"Well, if I felt like you'd give me the freedom to do what I wanted like I deserve, I'd be perfectly happy telling you everything!" Drake retorted and I snarled angrily at him, clenching my jaw.

"I can't give you freedom if you lie to me, Drake! Why can't you understand that I'm just trying to protect you?"

"What are you trying to protect me from, Sauli? I can take care of _myself_. I'm _not a goddamn child!_" I growled at him, shouting at the top of my lungs at him.

"I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt, Drake! There are people who will tear you apart! You are my baby brother, Drake! You are my responsibility and I refuse to let some God forsaken _human_ get in the way of your safety!" Images of a man with cruel eyes and soft hair filled my mind and I shook away the idea of him ever getting his hands on my baby brother. Drake launched himself from his seat on the bed, floating inches away from me, screaming in my face.

"If I'm just going to do what I want anyway, why not just let up? Why are you so fucking pushy all the goddamn time?"

"Why not just—? God—_damnit_, Drake! Why can't you just as you're fucking told?" I shouted back at him, pressing my hands to his shoulders and pushing him back a little. Drake's eyes were dancing with a sort of fire that turned his normal sweet and delicate blue irises nearly black in the dark of the cave. 

"Because you're not my _fucking_ father, Sauli! You're my brother! I'm. Not. A. Child! You _can't tell me what to do anymore!_" I growled low and sinister from deep within my chest, feeling my hands twitching at my sides, itching to strike something. Anything.

"Mom and Dad are _gone_, Drake! They're _dead! _ And I promised I would raise you and take care of you as if you were my own! _I promised them that!_" I had never screamed so much in my life. I had never been so furious, either, with the exception of one other moment. One other time. But back then it wasn't directed to Drake. I could see in his eyes beneath the rage and the frustration that he was terrified of me, but it didn't register really.

"Well, Sauli, you're doing a really _piss-poor_ job if you think keeping me locked up in this cave is _taking_ care of me! You're not trying to fucking protect me, you're locking me up for your own selfish desires because there is _no one_ in our world and in the one above that _fucking wants you_! Whatever you _promised_ to Mom and Dad is a fucking failure! They would be _ashamed of you!_"

It was at that point that everything around me and Drake seemed to fade away. I, myself, suddenly had gone onto autopilot. I was seeing everything normal, but the sound had faded from my ears. There was nothing but the dull rhythm of my heartbeat which had gone unusually steady. Only moments ago it had been thrashing but now? Now it was calm. It was slow and gentle.

I couldn't stop myself, though. I felt my body shift and move and I took notice that my left arm had raised, crossing over my body. My hand was rigid, fingers locked together to create a flat, angry surface as my hand whipped through the water. It cut like a knife through soft, unyielding flesh before striking across Drake's left cheek. His eyes were wide with shock before agony mixed across his pupils. His eyes squeezed themselves shut as he tumbled quickly down to the cave floor, much faster than water resistance should have allowed. He bounced, floated up a little as the red stain from my hand burned bright in the dark.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe as I watched Drake tentatively bring a hand up to touch his cheek, no doubt stinging and burning with such an angry fire. He winced, pulling his hand away before turning his eyes up to me. They were frightfully clear and full of pain and shock. And suddenly, just as it all had floated away, the sound came rushing back in full to my ears and Drake's whimpers were louder than they should have been. I gasped, watching in utter regret as tears flooded his eyes.

"Oh, God… Drake…" I whispered, kneeling down beside him quickly. "Drake, I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry, Drake! I didn't mean to—" I trailed off, reaching out for my baby brother, hoping to God that he would crawl into my arms and cry and let me comfort him. I didn't mean to hit him, but I just couldn't control it, either. Something within me had snapped and I just… Oh, God.

But he didn't. Drake shoved my hands away before palming my chest and shoving with all his might, forcing me to float away from him. The rest of my words were lost to me as he stared at me through the tears in his eyes, the handprint so red it might as well have been branded into his skin. "Don't touch me! Just don't fucking touch me, Sauli!" He howled. I whimpered quietly.

"Drake, please, I'm sorry!" I sobbed softly as Drake pushed himself up through the cave, beating his tail angrily through the water, swimming out as fast as he could. Even if I were to follow him I would have no hope of catching up. Drake was one of the fastest mermaids of his age. Of anyone's age. Not even the best could catch up with him, especially when he was determined. And as I gazed after him, tears pouring down my cheeks, I could hear his own sobs growing fainter and fainter in the dark.


	12. All My Battles Have Been Won

**Chapter Twelve: All My Battles Have Been Won But the War Has Just Begun  
>Drake's POV<strong>

I didn't know where to go. I didn't have anywhere to go but up, so I swam up and up as fast as I could to get away from Sauli. I could feel the serious stinging on my cheek and it only seemed to intensify with every passing minute. My cheek felt like it was on fire and the tears were stinging my eyes enough to almost match to burn in my cheek. The salt water only irritated my eyes that much more and when I finally broke the surface, I felt like I could just curl up and die.

Hauling myself from the ocean, I curled up into the tightest ball I could manage with my tail and as it faded into legs, the ball I'd squeezed myself into became even smaller. The storm had rolled into the area now and was directly overhear. The ocean was crashing in giant waves on the shore and I more or less crawled up the beach to get away from the water. I wasn't sure what part of the beach I was on, but I didn't think I was too far from where I left Adam. There were several tall rocks around me, blocking me off from everyone else and I didn't care.

The lightening and the thunder scared me tremendously and that mixed with the cold rain splashing down on my naked body were causing me to tremble violently. I was cold and I wanted to curl up in Sauli's arms, but then I would see his electric blue eyes behind my closed lids. They filled with rage I'd never seen directed at me and then his hand reared back and came down across my cheek and I swore I had been slapped again.

Tears would not stop flowing and whenever I began to think I just wouldn't be able to cry anymore, more tears would fall, like never ending waterfalls from my ducts. I wanted someone's comfort; someone to just wrap his or her arms around me and tell me everything was going to be fine. Someone who would put a cool, soothing hand on my aching face and tell me everything was going to be all right.

I wanted my brother back but that man, the one who had hit me, was definitely not my brother.

Sure, I had said some pretty harsh things to him, a lot I wish I could take back, like telling him that he was a failure in what our parents wanted and that he wasn't doing a good job with raising me. Most of those words just spilled out with my anger and frustration, but some of them were true. Some of them I meant dearly, like him needing to let me grow up. I wasn't a baby anymore but he just couldn't see that.

Maybe I wasn't a baby or a child, but I definitely felt like one, curled up, naked on a beach with tears streaking my face and rainwater soaking my hair and skin. Every time thunder rolled, I tensed and curled up just a little bit more, tears flowing harder down my face. There honestly weren't many things that I was afraid of, but thunder and lightening terrified me, but I couldn't go back, not after Sauli had physically hurt me. Being angry with me and yelling at me were one thing, but actually hitting me? He'd never raised a hand to me before and now that he had, I just didn't know what to think.

When the rain finally stopped, I still had a few tears leaking every now and again, but I had, for the most part, stopped crying. I was still shivering though, still chilled to the bone and my head was pounding. The burning in my cheek remained but it had faded and my throat felt like it was swelling shut. Every time I tried to swallow, I felt like I was trying to force down shards of Adam's liquor bottle.

I wasn't sure how long I had lain in the sand, but surely it had to have been hours. The storm seemed to last forever but perhaps that was only because I was so terrified of them. Even once the storm was over, it seemed like an eternity that I was curled up in the sand, shivering and enveloped in darkness. Clouds still lingered in the sky, so the moon and stars were mostly hidden. I kept my eyes squeezed shut anyway. I was almost too stunned to open them.

I kept waiting for the pounding in my head and the aching of my throat to fade now that I wasn't crying, but it never did. In fact, it only seemed to get worse and then my stomach started to ache and I knew it wasn't because I was hungry. I'd never actually been sick before, but I imagined this is what it would have been like, to have your body invaded with foreign viruses. I didn't really think mermaids could get common illnesses like humans often did, often died from, but now I was beginning to believe that we could get sick just as easily as they could if we were exposed to the right conditions.

No sleep greeted me, although I longed for it desperately. All I wanted to do was sleep away my problems, dream about the Adam I fell in love with and forget about that horrible fight with my brother. To wake up and feel refreshed and rid of this disease infecting my immune system. I prayed for sleep to grace me with her presence until the bright yellow light of the sun started to penetrate my eyelids. When daylight made itself known, I knew I wasn't going to be getting any sleep and all hopes of that fleeted.

Cracking my eyes open was a horrible mistake. If I thought my head was pounding horribly before, the sunlight made it a thousand times worse and my stomach lurched, flipping over and over and over. I had to force myself to my hands and knees just to keep from vomiting on myself and instead doing it on the sand where I had just been curled up. I retched three times before I finally have nothing left to force up and then I dry heaved for another moment. I'd never felt worse in my life and I had no idea how to even begin to take care of myself and get myself back to proper health. Retching didn't help to make me feel better, it just made my stomach feel empty on top of aching.

"Ugh… Fuck…" I groaned, crawling away from where I had just thrown up and I curled up several feet away from where I had just been laying. I knew I should have gotten up and tried to figure out something, but I didn't really have anywhere to go. I definitely wasn't going to go back to Sauli, but I probably needed to get up and move away from the shore before Sauli came looking for me. I would not go back to my brother, not yet. I was going to prove him wrong about humans and about the surface world and he would regret all those horrible things he said about them. I was going to prove him wrong about everything…

"Hello?" I heard someone call from behind one of the large rocks and I tensed, freezing to the spot I was curled up in. I recognized that voice anywhere; Adam, of course. For a moment, my heart fluttered. He had made it through last night and it was because of me, but then fear grew in my chest. What would he do if he found me like this? Part of me even questioned if he would do one of those horrible things Sauli always said humans would do, like trying to take advantage of me. "Is someone there?" he called again. He sounded a little tired, a little groggy, but he sounded a lot less heartbroken than last night and a lot better than I was feeling right now.

I couldn't stop the soft whimper from falling off my lips. I didn't mean to let it fall, but I couldn't help it. Maybe, subconsciously, I wanted him to hear me and find me. Okay, I did want to be near him but I was afraid as well. "Hello?" he called, coming around the rock slowly. I cracked my eyes open to watch him, using one hand to block my eyes from the sun as much as possible just to keep the aching in my head from getting any worse.

"Oh my Goodness…" I heard him whisper and I watched him lift a hand to his mouth before he rushed over to me, a little unstable but mostly coordinated. "Oh God, are you all right?" he asked quietly, kneeling down next to me. I shied away from him even though all I truly wanted to do was launch myself into his arms and wrap my own around him, holding him tightly.

He reached out slowly, cautiously, pushing the hair out of my face. His hand lingered on my forehead, frowning a little and his skin was cold to my forehead, which was completely strange. Usually humans were very warm to me because I spent most of my time in cold water. "Are you okay?" Adam whispered to me again and then he blinked, gasping softly. "Oh my… You're that boy from the rock, aren't you?" he asked me and I nodded faintly. "And all this time I was believing that you were just a dream…" he said and he pulled his jacket off. He must have gone back to his home to bathe and change some time during the night. Hopefully he woke up before the storm got really bad and took himself home. He didn't look sick or anything, so he must have gone home before the weather got terribly bad.

"I wasn't a dream…" I choked out, my voice shockingly hoarse and raspy. The sound of it was enough to make me cry again because usually my voice was soft, warm and inviting. Now it sounded like I was on the verge of dying.

"My god, you poor thing. What are you doing out here? How long have you been out here?" he asked, draping his jacket of my top half. He curled one arm under my already-bent knees and he forced the other underneath my shoulders, lifting me from the sand like I was nothing more than a glass of brandy. "You're burning up…" he whispered, holding me close to him. "You must be coming down with a fever…"

Fever? What the fuck was a fever? I'd never had something like that before, but it was probably whatever illness I'd come down with over the course of the night.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" he whispered, keeping me close to his chest.

"I… was walking along the beach after fighting with my brother over something kind of stupid and the storm hit. A wave knocked me over and pulled me into the ocean and I washed up here…" I lied. "I current knocked my loose sleeping trousers off and I just… didn't really know where to go. And now I feel awful," I added, resting my head against Adam's shoulder as he walked up the beach and over a few small hills. Eventually he started up a small marble staircase set into the side of one of the hills that led up to a large, grand house. I could only assume that this was his home.

"Well, you aren't in any condition to be making a trip home right now. You're far too sick. Let me get you something warm to wear, something hot to eat and somewhere to rest and once you are feeling better, we'll see about getting you home," he said to me and carried me inside, lying me down on a couch in the first large room we came to. It seemed to be a very social-gathering type room but it was pleasant even for the giant size. "I'll go find you some clothes and then I'll get a fire started and make you some soup, or something," he said and I just smiled softly, not bothering to tell him that I didn't really want to go home and that I'd never eaten soup before.

"Thank you, Adam…" I said quietly and he pulled a blanket off of the back of the couch and draped it over my still-shivering frame.

He smiled warmly at me, totally different from the man I saw last night that tried to drown himself. "I turned back to find out what your name was that day and you were already gone…" he said softly, resting a hand against my forehead. "Would you mind telling me what it is?" he asked after a moment.

"Drake," I said softly, smiling at him. He chuckled softly and pressed a warm kiss to my heated forehead.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful boy," he said and straightened his tall frame, stretching some. "I'll be right back," he added and disappeared up the stairs. A few minutes later, he came back with what looked like sleep wear. "Here, these will probably be a little big on you, but they're the smallest I've got," he said quietly and he handed the garments over to me. "I'll let you get dressed while I go make you something to eat. Hopefully some food in your system will help kick out the fever."

"Thank you, Adam," I repeated, smiling again. "Thank you so much…" He just smiled and nodded at me, pressing another gentle kiss to my forehead.

"Get dressed," he said and turned to walk into what I assumed to be where he prepared his meals, a kitchen I believe is what it was called.


	13. Hearts And Homes Are Broken

**Chapter Thirteen: Hearts And Homes Are Broken**

**Adam's POV**

I woke in the middle of the night with a storm beginning to pour down upon me. A raging headache was pulsing between my eyes and ears and I groaned, rolling over in the sand to lay on my side. I frowned softly as I ran my fingers through the wet clumps of the shore, my fingertips brushing pieces of shells deep within the sand. A cold wind swept through my hair, shoving it into my face. Why was I outside in the middle of a storm late at night?

Slowly, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, groaning a little more. My head was pounding fiercely and my clothes were clinging to my body, sticking to my skin from the rain. Glancing around, I couldn't see much other than the shores angrily lapping over one another, their black and white froth spraying up and roaring. Slowly, I clamored to my knees, pushing up to my feet. I swayed as the world spun around me and I stumbled back, leaning against a rock.

Another wind kicked up and slapped me in the face with mist off of the sea. Salt sprayed into my eyes and nose and I cringed, wiping at my face with my wet sleeve. I frowned a little, bringing my shirt sleeve back to my nose and inhaled, smelling a soft underlying stench of rum. My stomach lurched and rolled over and I dropped my arm, moaning in discomfort.

Leaning heavily against the rock, I managed to push myself along, dragging my bare feet through the sand as I walked. Harsh winds kept knocking me forward and nearly making me fall over, but I managed well enough to hold my ground. I kept glancing over at the sea, watching the black waters tumble and toss themselves over each other, soaring up in high waves and come crashing down in a roar. The skies were dark, heavy black clouds hanging low. Thunder rumbled from beneath my feet as white lightning flashed across the sky.

"Dear God," I mumbled, forcing myself to walk just a little faster towards the stairs that were set into the hillside, leading up to my home. It seemed like forever before I reached them, and even then trying to climb them was a challenge. The stairs were originally made of rickety old wood, but after my parents had purchased the home on the hilltop, they replaced the rotted stairs with stone and marble to match our home.

I tried to climb them as quickly as possible but I was reduced to taking my time, practically crawling up the steps. Water pooled in the center and poured off the edges, creating waterfall effects as rain washed down on me. My hair was dripping and water was rolling down my face, but I managed to reach the top where the soft path started. Mud squished between my toes as I raced shakily to the front doors of my home. Images of Eric and our memories here flashed through my mind, but I shoved them aside as I tumbled into the foyer.

Water and sand and mud was tracked through the foyer as I raced to the washroom here on the first floor, stumbling through the door. The water of a bath which I had started earlier but never used was still waiting for me in the large tub, steaming gently. Stripping of my clothes, I pushed myself into it, shivering as the heat burned at my cold skin. My teeth clacked and chattered together as I buried myself almost nose-deep in the clear, warm waters.

I must have spent a good hour in the tub just trying to get warm and get the sands and mud off of my body before climbing out. I snatched a towel, drying off quickly before tucking it around my waist. I left my wet and sandy clothes sitting on the floor, deciding quickly that I would take care of them in the morning. For now, though, I was exhausted and desired nothing more than to curl up in bed and sleep.

I turned out of the washroom and walked down a small hallway, pushing into a guest room. My room was upstairs on the second floor, but I was far too exhausted to bother with climbing stairs. Not to mention, I hardly spent much time in my own room anymore since seeing… Eric…

Tears stung at my vision but I wiped them away, dropping the towel to the floor before climbing into the bed, pulling the blankets up to my neck. My body trembled again, though this time it wasn't due to chill. Eric's smile and his eyes flooded my mind but his cruel and cold words whispered themselves into my ear. Haunting me in the dark. I bit down on my bottom lip, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to sleep. I even tried to figure out why I had been outside, because prior to waking up I couldn't remember what I had done. But part of me had to figure that whatever it was, it had been connected to my heartache from Eric. Bastard…

Sighing heavily, I relaxed into the comforts of the warm bed, pushing Eric clear from my memories. Instead, I brought up what surely was only a dream but had felt so real that it had to have been a memory… An image of a boy on a rock…

~.~.~

I slept almost dreamlessly. There were flashes of the boy with the blue eyes and rich brown hair and there were flashes of Tommy and Eric. None of them lingered for very long though, and just as quickly as I had fallen asleep did I wake up. Despite the drawn curtains, I knew it was morning outside. The sounds of the storm from the night before were gone and the room was silent.

I blinked once, yawning quietly as I peeled the blankets away. My body felt sore and my throat was scratchy, but I didn't bother myself with trying to understand why. The aching between my eyes was still there, though it was subdued and tolerable. I sat up slowly, running my fingers through the tangled mess of my hair. I could still feel sprinkles of sand in my roots and I shook my head gently to get them out.

I pulled myself from the bed, stumbling naked out of the room and down the hall. I slipped through the gathering room, into the kitchen and passed the dining room to where the launder room was at. It was a small, sunk-in kind of place with a few windows on three of the walls. A large tub sat in the center with water and lye. It needed to be dumped and refilled for the next time I did the wash, but I wasn't concerned with cleaning anything. Instead, I reached into a large wicker basket full of clean clothes that I had never bothered to take back to my room. I fished through it, pulling out a pair of long pants and a long sleeved shirt.

Tugging the clothes on quickly, I pulled out a pair of grey stockings, rolling my pants' legs up to my knees. I slid my feet into them one at a time, pulling the fabric up to just under my knees before rolling my pants back down. Walking back through the various rooms, I made my way to the foyer, seeing tracks of mud and sand still on the floor. I sighed, going to a small cupboard to grab a rag to clean up the mess, taking it and tossing it into the doorway of the launder room. I would deal with it later.

Walking up to the door, I found my boots sitting neatly beside the frame. Shoving my feet into them, I tucked the folds of my pants inside before lacing them tight. They were black leather with silver loops and clasps that came up to my knees, thin leather laces. Most people still had boots that they just pulled on, but I had opted for something different.

Boots on, I reached up and grabbed my jacket, long sleeved and ended at my mid thighs, from a hook set into the wall, tugging it on before turning the knob of the door. I slipped out into the early morning, inhaling the smell of a calm ocean and a passed storm. Closing the door, I made my way down the path, careful not to slip through any seriously slick patches of mud. I took even more caution with the stairs, thought they had dried significantly through the night and into the morn.

I wasn't sure why I decided to come venture out, but with the sun gently beating into my back from the east and with soft, serene murmur of the ocean, I realized that I didn't really care to find out. A smooth wind fluffed my hair a little, tossing it about my face as I walked down the shore, my boots sinking a little into the sand.

As I walked I found pieces of wood that looked as if it had been torn apart from something scattered along the edges of the sand. I frowned, at first, before recognizing one piece with a small engraving I had done. It dawned on me that my row boat that my parents and I had made had been torn apart in the storm. I frowned further. Why would it have been torn apart, though? I'd had it secured to the post by the marble stairs…

I would have continued to ponder the strangeness of my wrecked childhood belonging when I heard the sound of someone retching and groaning nearby. My stomach flopped and I felt as if I would be sick, but the sound faded just as quickly as I'd heard it, only to be replaced with another quiet groan and a curse. Frowning softly to myself as I had already done so much before, I followed along the curve of the shore to where the sound seemed to be coming from.

"Hello?" I called gently, my boots kicking through the sand. A yawn wanted to crawl into the back of my throat but I swallowed it away and called again, "Is someone there?"

I waited for a moment before hearing a soft, pained whimper. Just barely audible over the gentle call of the ocean nearby but loud enough that I knew where it was coming from. I called to the voice again, curving around a rock. What I saw was rather shocking, at first. Curled up in the sand was a boy with wet and tangled brown hair caked with sand. He was shivering, covered in the shore with a hand over his face to block the sunlight. I gasped softly, covering my mouth with my hand at the sight of him. He didn't look like he'd been hurt or robbed, but he looked miserable and tired.

"Oh my goodness," I murmured, shakily rushing over to him. My head was still hurting and I was having a little difficulty moving so quickly, but I managed well enough and fell my to knees beside him. "Oh, God, are you alright?"

The boy, who looked strangely familiar to me, shied away from me when I reached out to him. He whimpered quietly, his hair blocking the half of his face that wasn't covered by his hand. He looked so familiar but I couldn't quite place where I might have seen him before this.

"Are you okay?" I murmured, reaching forward again and gently pushed his sand-covered hair out of his face. I shifted so that I was kneeling beside his head, shadowing him from the sun. He dropped his hand and looked up to me as I smoothed his hair out. There was a heavy, reddish bruise on the side of his face that looked as if it were a hand print or something very similar to it. After a moment I gasped softly, staring him in the eye.

"Oh my… You're that boy from the rock, aren't you?" I asked him, and he nodded softly, his eyes fluttering in exhaustion. "And all this time I was believing that you were just a dream…" I murmured, more to myself than anything. But because of how close we were, he heard me.

"I wasn't a dream.." he mumbled, his voice sounding hoarse and wrecked, like he'd been crying and swallowing glass. He cringed softly at the sound of it and I bit my lip, my fingers lingering in his hair.

"My god, you poor thing. What are you doing out here? How long have you been out here?" I asked him, shrugging out of my jacket and draping it over him. He was still shivering even though the day was beginning to warm up. Despite the tan of his skin he looked pale and weak. Had he been out here all night?

I slid one arm under the curve of his knees, gently placing my palm along the soft flesh of his thigh before curling my other arm under and around his shoulders, lifting him into my arms. He was light weight and small, making him easy to hold. I pulled him closer, tucking my hand against his neck. "You're burning up…" I told him, frowning deeply. "You must be coming down with a fever."

He looked fearfully at me as I began to carry him home and I had to wonder if he'd ever been sick before. When I'd met him on the rock he had been so beautiful and healthy looking. Like a completely different person from the boy who I was holding now. I asked him what he'd been doing out here in the chill of the morning and he told me he'd gotten into a fight with his brother before being cast to sea and dumped here. I told him that he was in no condition to try and travel back home and that I would care for him and give him clothes.

I carried him effortlessly up the marble stairs to my home. The mud had already begun to dry and the path was easy to walk on. I cradled him in one arm as I pushed the front door open, carrying him to a formal gathering room before setting him down on a large and cushioned couch in front of the fireplace. There wasn't one there yet, but I knew that I would be making one soon. To help ease the shivering, I snatched up a large, thick blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over him.

I told him I would get him clothes and make him some soup before rushing upstairs to find the smallest sleep garments that I could. I raided through old clothes before finding some that had belonged to Neil, my younger brother. Cotton white trousers and a matching shirt with deep blue hemming, I carried them down to the boy, whose name he'd told me was Drake. I came back and rested the clothes on the back of the couch for him before disappearing into the kitchen to make some soup.

As I prepared the soup, I could still feel the soft, smooth touch of his forehead on my lips, and I had to wonder what his pressed to mine would feel like. Shaking my head a little bit, I sighed as I chopped up some carrots, dumping them into simmering broth and beef. I raided through cupboards to find other seasonings and noticed that several bottles of rum and wine were missing.

A smashed boat. Reeking clothing. Missing rum. It shouldn't have been a surprise to piece together that I'd gotten horrible drunk last night and, most likely, taken my boat out to sea. But if that had been the case, how did I wind back up on shore and my boat destroyed? Was I tossed from it due to a wave? But that would have been impossible. If I had been tossed from the boat, I would have surely drowned.

A flash of water passed my mind and I choked softly on a breath as if I couldn't breathe. Most of last night was still a hazy memory to me, but it was slowly coming back piece by piece. At least now I could remember that I had been drinking. A lot. A sigh fell from my lips as I sprinkled seasonings and other vegetables into a warm pot, stirring them together.

"A-Adam?" Drake's quite and scratchy voice sounded behind me and I turned, seeing him still wrapped up in my jacket, the sleeves ending just past his fingertips and the hem falling down around his cute, knobby knees. He looked so small and young; not to mention very, very adorable in my coat. Between his thin fingers he clutched the sleep wear. "May I bathe before dressing?"

I blinked once, catching myself staring at how beautiful he was in his sweet innocence before smiling gently at him. "Of course, Drake. There's a washroom just down that hall there," I motioned passed the dining room and to an archway that connected the rooms to the hall. "It'll be on your left," I said. Drake nodded once and smile, turning to make his way to the wash room. His footsteps were nearly silent on the hardwood floors and I sighed softly, returning to the soup.

It took about an hour for me to finish the soup and a small loaf of bread, of which I seasoned with some garlic to give it flavor. I'd just poured some into two small bowls with saucers for the bread when Drake emerged, wearing the clothes I had given him. Sure enough, they were a little big and baggy on him, but he wore them well. The sleeves were rolled up once around his wrists and the pants ended around his toes, trailing on the floor as he walked.

"It smells wonderful," Drake commented and I smiled at him, setting a bowl down at the table. He sat down in front of it with his hands folded in his lap as I sat across from him. I bit my lip, feeling a touch of nervousness clinging to me and as I looked up at him I noticed he wore the same expression.

"D-do you pray?" He asked me and I blinked, shaking my head. "Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid that I was about to offend my host.." he said with a small laugh and I chuckled.

"And here I thought I was about to offend my guest," I admitted, taking a small spoonful of soup into my mouth. It was savory and delicious even to my standards, the beef falling apart between my teeth and the carrots and potatoes with just enough flavor. Drake followed in suit, moaning softly as soon as the spoon passed his lips. I smirked, raising an eyebrow at him as he swallowed.

"This is the best soup I've ever tasted," he told me and I laughed quietly, shaking my head.

"That's very kind of you, especially since I'm not much of a chef. I merely followed a recipe my mother taught me when I was younger," I said gently, taking another spoonful.

"Well, your mother has taught you well," Drake said, his eyes shining at me despite the exhaustion. "So… do you live here? By yourself?" Drake asked me after a moment and I nodded once, fighting the clench of distress that closed around my throat by taking another bite of my soup.

"Yes. My parents.. died in a shipwreck when I was younger. They were lost during a terrible storm. My younger brother, Neil, ventured off to be on his own after he turned eighteen, which was about five years after our parents passed. Since then I've been here on my own. Mostly," Drake raised an eyebrow at me and I chuckled softly. "I am a man with few needs, Drake, but sometimes I have needs that are not exactly compatible with loneliness." The blush that painted itself across his face was priceless, and I found myself laughing.

"Well… You certainly seem to be doing well on your own. But why choose to live that way?" He inquired and I sighed, setting my spoon down.

"Most people prefer to be close to town. Close to shops and bakeries and taverns and brothels and shops. I prefer to be here. I've always favored the quiet roar of an ocean side home compared to the noise of society, really. I have so much freedom out here, even more so on my own. Sure, I miss being around people and being sociable, but it's nothing a necessity for my happiness," I explained, taking a small bite of my bread. Drake was staring at me with this look of awe and understanding and I smiled softly, blushing a little.

"It's a wonder more people don't follow your suit. Townsfolk can be pretty… ill-mannered, to say the least. But you? Living here on this little island? You're the kindest, sweetest, most honorable person I've ever met," Drake told me and I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Some would say my kind and sweet nature is just another way of saying I'm easy," I murmured without thinking, Eric's words whispering in my ear. I frowned a little, clenching my spoon a little tighter. I had hoped that Drake hadn't seen the sudden shift of my mood but he had, and he gave me a concerned look.

"I wouldn't say that," he told me gently. I forced a small smile before taking another bite of my soup to preoccupy myself from speaking again. "Adam, you're not quote-un-quote easy…" I glanced at him.

"How would you know?" I asked him, feeling my heart clench painfully.

"I just…" Drake trailed off, biting his lip for a moment. "I just do. You're not, okay? So don't say that." I smiled a little and looked away from him after a second.

"Thanks," I mumbled. As much as I wanted to believe him, I couldn't. Not after what Eric had said and what his betrayal had done to me. As it was, it was taking all of my strength not to stand from the table and hunt down a bottle of rum. Part of me hoped that having Drake here would help me come to grips with my situation and find the better part of people. He seemed sweet and gentle and honest enough. But another part of me feared him. He was just that. Sweet and gentle. It was how Eric had been. As much as I wanted to believe otherwise, I feared that Drake was just another Eric…


	14. Just Put a Little Trust In Me

**Chapter Fourteen: Just Put a Little Trust In Me and You'll See  
>Drake's POV<strong>

Adam had been taking care of me for a few days now and I felt fantastic, well, for the most part. I still had a bit of a cough and sniffles, but Adam assured me that my fever broke and that I wasn't looking so pale anymore. I often caught him staring at me when he didn't think I was looking. When I caught him, his eyes were filled with that same expression Sauli would get before telling me that he had the most beautiful baby brother in the world.

"Adam?" I finally asked him after catching him staring at me again. We were sitting on the beach together, a small picnic basket filled with food between us and his eyes went a little round, snapping up to meet mine. He definitely hadn't been staring in the general direction of my face before now.

"What…?" he asked, a little blush creeping over his cheeks. He didn't seem to want to look me in the eye, but for some reason, he did. I just smiled at him, a little smirk playing at my lips.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that? You think I don't notice, but I do," I whispered, still smiling at him. He was just so adorable when his freckled cheeks colored in with red and pink stain. I couldn't help but tease him a little further. He was just so beautiful… Every time I looked at him, I still couldn't really breathe right, like my lungs were starting to collapse every single time my eyes fell on such a beautiful creature. How could my brother think they were so horrid?

Adam's blush deepened just a little and he glanced away from me, staring down at the sand that surrounded us. It was truly hard to believe that such a peaceful and serene beach was home to such a cruel and vicious storm only a few nights ago. "Well… To be completely upfront with you, I've never seen such a beautiful boy in my life. I've been in contact with a lot of beautiful people over the course of my life, but you outshine them all," he said to me and even though I was used to hearing things like that from my brother and the boys (and sometimes girls) I seduced, it still forced a fierce blush across my cheeks. I wasn't used to hearing someone say that of his or her own free will. Well no one but my brother and he didn't really count, I never believed him anyway.

Adam chuckled quietly and he reached over to take one of my hands. Seeing me blushing like I was must have calmed his nerves enough to give him the confidence to get closer to me. "Stop it, Adam, I doubt that's true…" I whispered, holding his hand. I didn't want him to let go. I didn't want to let go, but I knew at some point, I would have to and the thought saddened me greatly.

"Actually it is," Adam said, lacing his long fingers through my own, holding my hand just a little more tightly. "You're stunningly gorgeous…" I blushed further.

"Thank you, Adam," I said, meeting his gaze despite my embarrassment. He smiled, his teeth bright and white and I couldn't help but smiled back at him as he nodded some.

"So… Forgive me if this is stepping out of boundaries but who hit you?" he asked out of the blue and I blinked in confusion. He seemed to notice right away and he sighed deeply, looking me in the eye. "When I found you on the beach a few days ago, you had a huge bruise on the side of your face… Like someone slapped or punched you…"

"O-Oh…" I whispered, frowning a little. I really didn't want to talk about when Sauli hit me, but I supposed Adam deserved to know, even though I didn't want to tell him. "Well… When I told you my brother and I got into a fight, it was… a little more than a fight…" His eyes filled with worry and I sighed, fixing my eyes on our intertwined fingers.

"We argued and I said some pretty mean things to him, about how he wasn't treating me right and stuff just because I was angry with him. I wish I didn't say anything like that, but some of it he needed to hear… He just got so angry with me that he slapped me and that's why I left and got swept away by the ocean…" Okay, so it wasn't the complete truth, but I couldn't tell him I was a mermaid who swam to the surface to get away from my overbearing brother.

"Your brother hit you?" he asked, raising his free hand to my still slightly bruised cheek. I flinched just a little, but then turned my face into his hand. "Is he always so violent?" He sounded worried, like he didn't want to let me go back to someone who would hurt me. My heart was speeding in my chest. That meant he cared about me, right?

"No… No, not usually. My brother raised me because our parents died when I was really young. He's usually such a great guy but I've never seen him so angry… He just, well, I can't believe he actually hit me because that isn't him," I explained, squeezing his hand a little. "He's usually so sweet and loving…"

Adam squeezed my hand gently back, as if to say 'it's okay'. Sauli did it all the time when I was upset or scared. "What were you fighting about, if I may ask?" he muttered, sounding hesitant at first.

"He keeps me on such a short leash, he doesn't let me do anything… He treats me like I'm still a little kid and he just… He acts like he doesn't trust me. He wants to keep me his baby brother forever and he scares away every boy who wants to court me, no matter how sweet or decent. It was fine for a while, he just wanted to keep me safe, but I'm not a kid anymore. I want— no, I need the comfort of someone who isn't my brother. Someone who loves me in a way that he doesn't," I explained. "I went for a late night walk to clear my head and he woke up to find me gone, so when I got back, he blew up at me."

"Well, I suppose I understand your position, even though I've only been the older brother, but I understand his position too. You're his baby bother and he doesn't want to see you get hurt. You can't blame him for being so cautious, especially when his brother is so beautiful," Adam said to me. "He's just looking out for you, even if he does get a little extreme with it…"

"Am I never supposed to grow up then? Am I always supposed to act like a child for his sake? Never make my own decisions and never fall in love?" I questioned and he frowned a touch, shaking his head.

"No, Drake, I'm not saying that at all. But I know it must be hard for him to see his brother growing up and being his own person… To not need him anymore... You are so gorgeous and young, he's just afraid of someone taking advantage of you and hurting you. He will come around and realize that you aren't a little boy anymore, but you need to give him time."

Sighing, I looked back up to meet Adam's gaze. "I've given him nothing but time… He won't let me grow up and… And I'm not that young," I said, defending myself in a respect. "I may be skinny and 'beautiful', youthful even, but I'm not a child. I've well passed my teen years and into my twenties." In fact, I was twenty-one, but I looked like a teenager. Mermaids, for whatever reason, did not age at the same rate as humans and as we got older, our aging rate slowed more and more. We also lived up to four times as long as humans, sometimes more, actually, so our aging was a little off. Just because I looked seventeen or eighteen didn't mean that I actually was.

"Really?" he asked, looking just a little startled. "Forgive me, but you just seem… younger…" He froze for a minute, seeming to catch a mistake. "I mean, you don't act young but you look like a teenager. A very beautiful and graceful teenager, but a teenager," he mended, looking at me apologetically.

I sighed again, staring at our hands once more. "I know I do and… I wish I looked my age, but just because I look a little younger than I am doesn't mean that I'm not an adult…" Adam smiled a little and he leaned a little closer to me.

"Are you thinking of going home anytime soon?" he asked and I couldn't quite make out his emotions.

"Well… To be honest, I don't want to. I—" I blushed wildly again. "I like you a lot and I like being with you… But I don't want to overstay my welcome or anything. You've been nothing but wonderful to me and I thank you kindly for it, but I won't stay if you don't want me to."

Instead of speaking, Adam closed the distance between us and pressed a gentle, warm kiss to my lips; the first real kiss we had shared since we first met out at that rock I had been sunbathing on. I couldn't really fight the moan that ripped its way from my throat and I kissed him back, holding his hand tightly in my own. He deepened the kiss for several long moments before he pulled away, leaving us both gasping for air.

He was blushing a little and I was almost sure I was blushing just as hard, if not harder. "Oh God… Forgive me, I shouldn't have been so pushy about that…" Adam muttered, covering his mouth with his free hand. I frowned, tightening my hold on his other hand.

"No, don't apologize, please… I loved it," I whispered and I wanted so badly to say _'and I love you'_, but I bit my tongue. "Really, honestly… I wasn't lying when I said I liked you."

He looked up at me with a little smile creeping against his freckled lips. "I'm sorry, I just… I didn't think I would be kissing such a beautiful boy so soon," he whispered, holding my hand tight and pressing his forehead to mine.

I blinked, wondering what he was talking about until I remembered that night when I found Adam in his rowboat, crying and cursing a man named Eric. Eric must have been his lover, but what happened to them? I really didn't know… "What do you mean?" I asked, partly wondering if he would actually tell me and partly not wanting to assume anything about his life. I just wanted to be one hundred percent sure.

Adam sighed and his eyes grew a little sad, but he didn't move away from me. "Up until recently, I had a lover named Eric and he was… Well, I thought he was wonderful. I thought he was my entire world, but he turned out to be a horrible person and a whore," he told me.

"Oh, Adam… I'm so sorry," I whispered, squeezing his hand again. "Will you tell me what happened? I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but… I'd like to hear it, if you're willing to tell me. Talking to you about my brother made me feel better."

Adam actually smiled and I was actually really shocked to see it, but it was there. "I don't really like to think or talk about it, but you were honest and open with me. I deserve to give you the same," he agreed and went silent for just a moment before he sighed and laid back into the warm sand, pulling me down next to him. I kept hold of his hand, resting my head against his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind much at all.

"I met Eric several months ago and I just thought he was the most beautiful thing in the world, until my eyes fell on you, of course," he started and I couldn't fight the little blush that spread across my face and the kick in my heart rate. "We started seeing each other regularly and I quickly fell in love with him. I thought he loved me too. He brought me gifts and I gave him gifts as well. We went on dates, shared dinners and secrets. We even went swimming together a few times. He was always so sweet and charming, I never suspected that he didn't feel the same way about me that I did with him.

"After we'd met, I felt that I was in love enough to be intimate with him and we spent a night together in my bed, making love…" I felt a pang of jealousy hit my heart, but then I remembered that Eric turned out to be the world's biggest ass hole. "We made love for hours and I truly thought that he was sharing in the same love I thought I felt, but he wasn't. The next day I came home from riding into town to get food and other supplies. That's actually the day we met out at that rock. The boy who was calling to me from the shore was my friend, Tommy, and he told me something was wrong in the house and that I needed to go right away." Tommy? Why did that name sound so familiar to me?

"So I went home and I found Eric in my bed, between the legs of a prostitute… He was fucking her on our sheets and when he saw me, he smirked, like his pleasure just increased tenfold. Then he told me he never loved me, he just wanted me for sex and once he got it, he was bored with me and wanted something else," Adam whispered and my heart lurched up into my throat.

"Oh, God, Adam… I'm so sorry," I whispered softly, tilting my head to look up at him, my sympathy shining in my eyes. "That's so awful…" He looked down at me, nodding some.

"It was awful. I was so devastated; I never thought I would want to be so close to another human being again… Yet here I am, cuddled up with you and… forgive me, if I seem a bit nervous at times, but I never thought I would be falling so quickly again… And, to be honest, it frightens me. I know that not everyone is like Eric and I'm almost one hundred percent certain that you are nothing like him, but I'm afraid of giving my heart away again… It's already been broken—broken still, really—and I don't think it can handle any more abuse," he whispered, a slight quiver to his voice and tears in his eyes.

I reached up, resting my free hand over his heart and I pushed myself up just a little to look down at him. "I can't imagine what you are going through. I can't imagine how you feel, but I would never do something like that to you. It's just too… heartless," I whispered. "It's okay to be scared, I don't blame you one bit, but please know that I won't hurt you. One day, you will have absolutely no doubt in me when I say that."

A little smile cracked across his face and he reached up, palming my cheek in his hand. "Thank you, Drake, that means so much to me…" he whispered, leaning up to press another gentle kiss to my lips.


	15. We Could Go So Far

**Chapter Fifteen: We Could Go So Far…**

**Adam's POV**

Drake had been staying with me for a little over a week. The first few days had been rough due to his fever. Judging by how miserable and weak he'd felt, I could only assume that he'd never really gotten sick before. When I asked him about it, he confirmed my suspicions. To think that someone as thin and young as he was had never been sick before was rather astonishing, to say the least. As a child and prepubescent teenager, I was almost always ill. It was a wonder that I hadn't died of major diseases, really.

Still, on the fourth day, Drake had made a great recovery. He was well enough to walk around and be outside even in the nippiest of mornings. He still had a bit of a cough and some sniffles, but the fever had broken and he was getting better. Though every time a soft cough passed his lips I felt a twinge of fear for him. He might have seemed to be getting better, but I had to worry none the less.

He assured me he was fine enough for the picnic that I'd had planned and nearly dragged me out of the house to prove it. I remember the afternoon had been warm and the skies clear; a damn near perfect day for lunch outdoors. We shared strawberries, stew and bread and a small bottle of wine. Between bites of food and drink, we shared stories and jokes that we'd heard before diving into the more personal and intimate parts of our lives.

Drake told me of his brother, Sauli— whose name, for some reason, sounded incredibly familiar though I could not place a name to a face— and of their complicated relationship. All of what Drake had told me of Sauli reminded me of myself and how I used to act with my younger brother. In fact, our situations in general were very similar. Mine and Neil's parents had died when we were young, Drake's parents had died when he was young. The older brothers between the four of us, myself and Sauli, cared for the younger ones, Drake and Neil. And we were protective about everything…

In return for Drake's honesty, I told him of my recent history with my ex-lover Eric. Telling him the story was painful and every uttered word of love and romance that I thought we'd shared sent daggers plunging deeper and deeper into my heart. By the tail end of it I was beginning to cry. Part of me wanted to be honest with him and admit to the dozens of occurrences where I'd gotten incredibly drunk because of my heartache, but I couldn't. I couldn't remember half of them much, anyway, and.. I didn't want to scare him off because I was a bit of an alcoholic.

Despite the painful stories, the kisses Drake and I had shared had been more than enough to push them away. True, I hadn't expected to be so romantic with Drake when I'd only known him for a few days, but there was something about him that was just… perfect. He was young, beautiful, intelligent and artistic. He was understanding and comforting and knew all the right things to say and do at the right time. He was everything I'd wanted in Eric, but unlike Eric, he followed through… He was more than Eric.

Many nights I'd spent in my bedroom with Drake in a guest bedroom just across the hall, thinking about him. Thinking about each day that we spent together leading up to our present. Each gentle, sweet kiss and deep, lusty longing. The softest of touches and dirtiest of gropes. No matter how passionate and hot things got, we always backed off before clothing began to fall. Sometimes it was per my request. Sometimes it was Drake's.

Sighing heavily, I tucked my arms beneath my head, staring up at the ceiling. I had been wary of coming back to this room, but after nursing Drake back to health in here and, later, kissing him so furiously I thought I would have no choice but to take him in these very sheets, I found myself more and more willing to be here. It would have been better if Drake could stay with me in my arms, but every time I began to ask him to stay, I would freeze up and bid him goodnight. And I always had to wonder if it was more painful to watch him walk to his own room than to just let him crawl into mine.

Tonight was the tenth night in which Drake had stayed with me in my home. And, just as the night before I brought him here, it was storming outside. The months were slipping by into November and, as such, the storms were coming in more frequently. Despite the fact that my parents perished in such storms, I was never bothered by them. In fact I found them rather intriguing. They were the midnight chaos that brought the beauty of the dawn. Angry black waves and murderous thunder through the night, but it always seemed that once the golden sun began her approach, they'd fade away for light.

I let my eyes slip shut, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing down over one another, the roar of thunder and the flashes of lightning. There was something hypnotic about the sound of the storm, for I found myself slipping under into a state like sleep, but I was still very aware of my surroundings. The wind beating against the stonework of the house, the windows rattling just lightly. Faint flashes of light striking over my closed eyelids as thunder rumbled so low it felt as if it was within my very being.

But the waves were what did it for me. The sound of angry black crystals shattering against stone rocks like glass. Mist spraying up into the air and blowing against trees, kicking up sand. I sighed heavily, sinking lower, and lower into my dreams, though I wish I had not. Behind my eyes, a memory painted itself. A memory of rain pouring down on me. Glass shattered in the bottom of a wooden rowboat. Pained sobs wracking my whole body. Waves kicking up and tossing me about.

I stood in the boat, shaking and wavering back and forth. A stench of rum filled my senses. I was drunk. Terribly so. And I was screaming, but my words were muddled and faint to my own ears. My words, but not my pain. The sobs were loud and clear; almost too loud to be honest. I heard the soft splash of something behind me and the boat rocked but I'd leaned forward and tumbled into the icy black waters of the sea. I sank, waves sucking me down. I drank sea water, I let it fill my lungs… I couldn't breathe…

Gasping for breath, I shot upright, my eyes flying open as I clutched at my chest. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe and yet I was gasping for precious air, letting it fill my lungs. There was pressure from the memory, so vivid it felt like there was water still within me. Shaking, my fingers loosened their grip from my shirt, and I sighed, breathing hard.

"Adam?" I whipped my gaze over to the door, seeing Drake standing there. Lightning flashed outside and illuminated his worried expression. I sighed heavily, looking away from him again. "Are you alright, Adam?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine…" I lied. From my peripheral I watched him frown.

"Adam… You were screaming in your sleep… about Eric.." He told me and I sighed again, running fingers through my hair. My heart was skipping beats in my chest and though I was exhausted beyond measure, my mind was racing. I dropped my hand from my hair, blinking slowly.

"It was a nightmare. Nothing more," I couldn't tell him about the true nature of my dream… I didn't want to believe it was a memory but it was so clear. Too clear to have been just a dream. And it made sense… the rowboat and the shattered glass in the bottom; the rum bottles, no doubt. But if I had jumped.. how was I alive?

Drake fidgeted a little in the doorway. His actions caught my attention and I turned to face him again, frowning a little, "Something wrong, Drake?" I asked him. He bit his lip.

"D-do you mind if I stay in here with you?" He asked me in a quiet voice. "I.. I don't like storms." I blinked once and nodded slowly.

"I don't mind at all," I told him, pulling the blankets back and motioning to the free space beside me. Drake padded across the floor to me, climbing in before snuggling up to my side. He was warm, but he was shaking at the same time. I frowned a little, tucking my arm around his waist, pulling him closer to me. Gradually, the shivers began to fade.

Drake was silent for a long time. So long I had begun to believe that he had fallen asleep and left me to dwell on the images of myself drowning in an alcoholic stupor. They kept playing in my mind so quick and merciless that I knew I wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon. I sighed softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Drake's hair, listening to the soft sound of my heartbeat beginning to slow.

"Adam…?" Drake mused and I hummed in response almost immediately. So he wasn't asleep after all. "What were you dreaming about? It sounded awful…" I sighed again, pressing my nose to his hair, breathing in the soft scent of vanilla.

"One of many nights of heartache… But this one was the worst of them all…" I muttered gently, biting my lip. I didn't want to tell him, but I knew that I had to all the same. "After Eric had left me… I spiraled into depression.. I drank to get rid of the memories of him and I drank to dwell in my own self pity. I never left this house. I barely ate anything. I wore the same clothes for over a week… I was pitiful.

"When I wasn't drunk, I was usually asleep. But in my dreams, Eric was always there. Haunting me. Laughing at me for how pathetically miserable I'd become… One night.. the night before I found you on the shore.. I drank, as always. I drank until I couldn't walk straight, and then I drank more." Drake tensed in my arms. In the dark of the room I could see his eyes watching me.

"I went out down to the shore and climbed in a little rowboat that my parents and I had made, and I continued to drink. I broke bottles in the boat, threw bottles into the ocean… I didn't care. I was screaming to no one about Eric… Asking how he could have done this to me…" I trailed off, seeing the dream in my mind as tears welled in my eyes.

"I was so hurt and drunk and lost without him… I wanted nothing more than to just disappear for the way he made me feel. It was dark and there was a storm and the waves looked like arms waiting to take me home…" I whispered and Drake gasped quietly. I didn't have to look at him to know that he was upset at this. "I jumped from the boat with every intention to die. I thought I was going to… I wanted to. More than anything else in the world. But something saved me, for I woke up later in the night when the storm was at its worst. I woke up and I was alive, but I couldn't clearly remember why I was there or what had happened to me. I hurried home… and the next morning I found you…"

Drake was staring up at me in the darkness, his eyes wide and fearful with tears in them. I sighed softly, looking away from him. I felt ashamed. I felt like a disappointment, and there was a part of me that gripped and longed to go downstairs for a drink. Something—anything—to push this feeling away. To forget it. But before I could even make a move to consider drinking, Drake sat up and hovered over me.

He reached up with a hand, touching my cheek gently. I lowered my gaze, looking past him towards the French doors that led out to the balcony. His fingers trailed along my jaw and up over my lips. He hummed my name softly and I looked back to him, just in time to see the soft, pained yet sincere expression before he bent down and kissed me. I moaned softly, slowly reaching up to tangle my fingers into his hair.

Drake deepened the kiss, quickly taking control over it and over me. I didn't mind it, though. His tongue slid between my lips and I moaned a little louder into his mouth, arching up slightly. He tasted exotic and wonderful, just like every other kiss before this one. I greedily tasted him with my own tongue, sliding it along his and into his mouth a little before retreating as he changed the angle and kissed even deeper.

My heart kicked in my chest as he dropped a hand to my shoulder. He slid it along the length of my arm before swerving and climbing back up along my side. I shivered a little, sucking sweetly on his tongue as he pressed his palm over my heart. I could feel it thrashing there with excitement and I knew that he could feel it too. I nipped his bottom lip, sucking slowly on it and Drake gasped quietly, digging the pads of his fingertips into my chest.

I shifted, kissing the side of his neck tenderly, licking slightly below his jaw. Drake moaned, arching into me. Sliding my arms around his waist, I rolled us over so that I was hovering over him, my body pressed flush against his own. I nipped his throat gently, earning a low, aroused groan and I smirked. Drake's hands tangled themselves into my hair as I nipped and licked at the flesh of his neck, making small and slight marks in his skin.

"Aah..nngh, Adam…" he moaned quietly, tilting his head back. I attacked his throat with tender yet vicious bites, sucking hungrily on his neck. He arched deeply into me, moaning louder and louder between bites, panting and whining now and then. His hands dragged down from my hair and dug into my back through my shirt. When I nipped the side of his neck, just below his ear, Drake bucked into me, grinding softly and crying out.

Moaning gently, I ground my hips into his, seeking friction for the spikes of pleasure that were rolling down my spine. Drake and I moaned in unison, and I kissed him again as hard as I could. My tongue split the seam of his lips as I rubbed against him, feeling his arousal with my own. Drake gasped against my mouth, wrapping his legs snug around my waist, pulling me closer, harder.

I found myself thrusting against him, grinding my hips into his, rubbing my painfully hard dick against his through our sleep wear. My heart was skipping beats and my brain was screaming at me for this, but I didn't care. Drake was moaning and panting between kisses, clawing at my back through my shirt and all I cared about what how beautiful he looked in the dark like this. Ecstasy and frustration and something tender and raw. Something that looked like…

"Adam.. Adam, please, I'm.. God, please!" He whined, bucking into me again. I moaned softly, clenching my jaw and thrusting hard into him, rubbing over him as fast and as hard as possible. I felt like a horny teenager but I couldn't find it within myself to mind, really.

I bent down, kissing Drake softly, barely tasting the inside of his mouth before I felt his body convulse beneath me and he came with a shout. I gasped, grinding once more into him, feeling the sticky warmth of his wet trousers before I, too, came, panting heavily. Stars dances across my vision and I moaned, shakily collapsing over him, my face buried into the side of his neck. In my mind, replacing the dream, was the expression I had seen on his face. The raw and tender look of love…


	16. I Don't Know What You've Done to Me

**Chapter Sixteen: I Don't Know What You've Done to Me  
>Drake's POV<strong>

When I woke up, Adam's arms were secured around my waist tightly, holding my small frame right up against his larger one and I didn't really want to get up because I was comfortable. Well, for the most part, anyway. I was happy to wake up to Adam's beautiful face and I was happy that _I_ was the one in his arms, but I quickly became aware of my sleeping trousers stuck to my groin and thighs with my own seed.

Heat spread across my face as the memories from the previous night's events. I didn't have sex with Adam but it was just about as close as I could get without actually having sex with him. I could practically feel his thrusts again and I could only imagine what it would have felt like to actually have him inside of me…

But I knew he wasn't ready for that, Hell, I don't even think I was ready for that. Even though I'd had sex plenty of times, it was different with Adam. With Adam it wasn't just about short-term pleasure and then ending his life, it was about truly being in love with him but after last night? Could I really be blamed for wanting to be closer to him? He felt fantastic even through clothes. Now my skin was hot and tight, wanting to know him without the clothes.

Adam's eyes cracked open and he groaned quietly, curling closer to me. "Morning darling," he whispered into my ear, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. I blushed a little; curling closer to him and ignoring the uncomfortable feel of my pants sticking to me.

"Morning, Adam," I muttered back, kissing him back and smiling contently. He stared at me, his eyes soft and beautiful, like admiring me or something. "What are you looking at me like that for?" I asked, blushing a little more.

"Sorry… You're just so beautiful…" he muttered into my ear, kissing right below it before nibbling on my earlobe. I gasped softly arching into him a little.

"Adam…" I growled softly and I could feel him smirk into my a little. "God, Adam…"

He pulled back, smiling innocently at me. "Yes?" he asked and I just stared up at him, my disbelief written clear on my face. He laughed quietly and leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss my lips. "Forgive me, Drake, I just haven't felt this fantastic in quite a while…" He kissed me again, only this time he didn't seem aroused or horny, he just seemed happy and I happily kissed him back, moaning gently. "Are you hungry, love?" he muttered into my mouth. "We could go down stairs and find something to make for breakfast, hmm?" I hummed in response, smiling at Adam.

"Breakfast sounds wonderful, but I'd like to… get changed first," I said, blushing a little. "I'm still a little… sticky from last night," I admitted, feeling like my face was on fire but he just nodded and smiled, pressing another gentle kiss to my skin, his fingers caressing my cheek.

"Me too love," he said softly and slowly peeled himself out of the bed. I followed suit and went across the hall to the guest room that he had given to me so I could clean up and change into day clothes. I decided on a black pair of short trousers that ended about half way down my thigh and a white, silky shirt with a ruffled collar and sleeves that ended at my elbows. I had to admit that the outfit was cute and looked great on me, even if the shirt was a little baggy. Adam had gone into down a few days ago to get me some clothes that actually fit, but the shirts were still a little too loose. In reality, they probably wouldn't have been too big if I'd been feeding on humans, like normal and I'd lost a few pounds because of my sudden change in diet.

I left my room, going to the kitchen to find Adam already there, looking through the pantry. He looked over at me and he smiled brightly. "You look so good in those clothes…" he said and I blushed a little, walking over to him.

"I assume that's why you bought them for me?" I asked, smirking a little at him and he blushed a little.

"Yes, well…" he muttered, looking back into the pantry, probably just so he didn't have to look at me. I was confirmed on my suspicion when he completely changed the subject. "What would you like for breakfast, love?" he asked, looking over at me after the embarrassment faded from his face. "Eggs? Ham? Pancakes?" he suggested and I smiled at him.

"Well, it all sounds amazing. Whatever you want, Adam," I answered and kissed his cheek. "You are, after all, the cook."

"How about some pancakes and bacon? I bought fresh maple syrup when I went into town to buy you clothes," he said and I purred a little. I never knew that mermaids could eat and digest human food, but I found that I really liked everything that Adam cooked for me. It was all so delicious and it was all so different… Everything tasted differently and each new food was a new sensation to my taste buds. Most humans had different scents and tastes, but they had the same basic root. Some were a little sweeter and some were salty, but they all tasted like the same thing.

"Sounds delicious," I whispered and he smiled, grabbing some ingredients he needed to prepare the meal and took them over to his stove. I followed him again, pushing myself up onto the counter next to where he was mixing the batter for the pancakes and he looked over at me, eyeing my thigh for a moment before trailing his eyes up to mine. "Something wrong?" I asked him, smiling softly and he growled at me.

"Yes, you're just too god damned beautiful for your own good," he muttered, setting the bowl of pancake batter aside, moving to stand right in front of me instead. He palmed his hands over my thighs, trailing his fingers over my skin so softly, it sent shivers up my spine. "You better be careful… I may not be able to control myself around you for very long…"

He leaned forward, pressing a raw, hard kiss to my lips and pushed my fingers up under the hem of my shorts, the soft pads of his fingers teasing my skin. His tongue slipped the seam of my lips and I sucked sweetly on his tongue, moaning around the thick muscle. He growled at me, pumping my tongue in and out in a hard, slow rhythm that made me wish he was pumping it in and out somewhere else.

The thought was, more or less, arousing, extremely arousing and part of me wanted to hop down off the counter and haul Adam back up his bedroom and force him down into the mattress, but such activities shouldn't be spent in the early morning. I wanted to spread my thighs and take him again, only maybe without clothing this time but I wasn't sure if Adam was ready for that kind of step in our relationship.

Hell, I wasn't sure if I was ready for that step. I'd never been in love before but I knew I wanted to be physical with him. Last night proved that both of us wanted to go further with our physical relationship, but we were both a little scared of it, frightened even. I believed he was more afraid of it than I was because his previous boyfriend had only used him for sex. That had absolutely nothing to do with why I wanted to be intimate. I'd never actually had sex for love, but I wanted to experience it more than anything. I wanted to feel him make love to me, not fuck me just because it felt good.

Adam lifted a hand up, sliding under my shirt; his fingers cool to my burning flesh. I could feel myself getting hard again, but I was trying to keep from growing too hard. I didn't want a repeat of last night. While it was completely enjoyable and I loved every single second of it, I didn't want to come in these shorts, they were just a little too short for that and I didn't want to ruin these clothes. They were nice and I liked them.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" I heard someone say from behind Adam and I jumped, hitting my head on a cabinet hanging above my head, a soft whimper falling from my lips. Adam frowned a little, pulling away from our kiss and pulling his hands out of my shirt and shorts. He ran his fingers through my hair gently, rubbing my head with a pitied expression, as if to say 'are you okay?'

Adam then turned, still holding onto me. "Jesus Christ, Tommy, you scared the shit out of us," he hissed. A bit of an uneasy feeling came to rest in the pit of my stomach. Adam told me about Tommy before. They were best friends, but every time I heard his name, I felt a little uneasy, like I knew him from somewhere, but I couldn't really place it. "Would it kill you to knock? Honestly?" he hissed and I glanced around him, looking at the short, skinny but beautiful blonde with tanned skin and ink set into his arms and shoulders. "I didn't know you were going to be coming back so soon…"

"Well," Tommy started, looking at me for a moment as if assessing me before turning his chocolate eyes back onto Adam. "I was really worried about you because of what Eric did to you, but I didn't really think you would be the type to move on so quickly. Obviously I was wrong…" He eyed me again and I just blushed, staring down at my thighs.

Adam seemed a little stunned before the same blush I was wearing spread across his cheeks. "What? No… No, it wasn't like that, it was… Well, I honestly didn't plan on moving on so quickly, but Drake is, well, honestly he's making me feel like Eric never even existed… He's making the pain go away," he admitted and I felt my heart flutter in my chest.

"Really?" I whispered, just a little shocked that he actually admitted something like that out loud. Adam blushed a little but he turned to me and nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple, muttering a soft "yes" into my skin.

Tommy walked over to us and he kept eyeing me like something was wrong with me. "Well, then you must be something special…" he whispered to me and I smiled bashfully but my sudden happiness was still underlying uneasiness. "Drake, right?" he asked and I nodded. "Well it's a delight." He held his hand out to me and for a moment I was confused, but then I reached my hand out to him. He took it firmly and we shook hands. "Sorry for the… intrusion," he said, more to both of us. "But this was the last thing I thought I would find Adam doing in his kitchen…"

"Well, can you blame me?" Adam snapped. "He is beautiful, is he not?"

Tommy eyed me again and my stomach flopped over. "Very. Much more beautiful than Eric, to be honest," he said and I blushed again, looking away. "But how did you find him?" he asked, turning to look at Adam again. Adam glanced at me and I looked away, blushing still.

"Well, that's actually a rather long story," Adam admitted. "Why don't I finish preparing breakfast and we can talk over a nice, warm meal, all right?"


	17. My Furied Heart

**Chapter Seventeen: You Can't Rewrite The Agro Of My Furied Heart**

**Tommy's POV**

As Adam told me the story of how he came across such a lovely boy as Drake, I couldn't help but to steal periodic glances at brunette. There was something about his face and his eyes that was just so familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it directly. He was short and on the thinner side of life, somewhat smaller than me—and that was truly saying something. But he had a gentle face and an inviting personality and he seemed decent enough. Adam liked him, and that was good enough for me.

Hearing, though, that Adam had stumbled upon Drake just around the corner of the shore in a cove, curled up and shivering with fever, made my stomach clench. The idea of someone so young and beautiful as Drake being vulnerable and weak in such an open place was unsettling. It was not uncommon for certain figures of society to come across beautiful boys and girls and find them suitable for rather displeasing acts, whether pleasure or not.

But, looking upon Drake, I could see no signs of such abuse and felt a weight ease itself from my shoulders. Adam was heartbroken enough—or so it had seemed before—I could imagine him trying to mend his own heart while earning the trust of someone so recently broken.

We talked further over warm, fluffy pancakes dripping with maple syrup, eggs and bacon. Adam had always been a bit of a chef since his parents had died, and it seemed that the hobby hadn't died even when Neil had left. I could remember him always being the one to cook for whenever I paid a visit—such as today—or when Eric was still with him.

That was, perhaps, the one relationship I never understood. I'd heard rumors that Eric was a bit of a heartbreaker and had been known to be rather loose in the ways of commitment and sex. I'd tried to warn Adam about Eric and of the things that I had heard, but Adam had always been a fickle and stubborn individual. He had already tumbled down the rabbit hole of infatuation, heading for rock-bottom-in-love when I tried to pull him away from Eric's clutches. He wouldn't hear of it. And then his heart was destroyed.

That had been a long several weeks. I wasn't one for staying in any particular place and traveled often for self-interest as well as work, but part of me wanted to stay with Adam to make sure that he was alright. When I'd left, Adam had been sleeping off two bottles of rum he'd put away to himself the night before. Guilt gripped me like nothing else before it and I almost hated myself for leaving him.

Upon coming back, I had all but expected him to be in the same condition; slumping around his family's home, drunk and still drinking away his heartache. To walk in at the sounds of moans and see him with his tongue throat deep in a strange and, yet, beautiful boy was, perhaps, the very last thing I had ever imagined.

"So, Drake," I mused, stabbing at an egg on my plate. The brunette lifted his head, his ocean-blue eyes piercing through me. My heart kicked and my insides clenched again. "Where are you from, exactly? Adam never mentioned that detail…" Drake blinked once and swallowed the bite in his mouth.

"On the west coast of Portoscuco. Part of the mainland of Sardegna," he said after a moment. Maybe my suspicions had been wrong… "My brother and I live there together in the house our parents had bought. Well… He's there by himself, now, and I'm here." I nodded once, taking a drink of water.

"And how did you manage to get all the way out here, if Adam found you tossed up on the shore?" Drake's cheeks flamed and he smiled softly.

"Well… my brother and I had gotten into a fight, and I.. I ran away. I meant to take a short swim and clear my head, but I got tossed up into the storm and was carried here... But, forgive me, I still don't know exactly where here is…" He explained.

"Isola di San Pietro. We're actually on a smaller island, Villamarina. I usually take the boat across to Tonnare, the city nearby, for necessities. In all manner of speaking, you're still in Sardegna, Drake. Just a little far from home." Adam explained to the brunette, who smiled shyly at my friend. Portoscuso to Villamarina… Even with a swimmer experienced in battling through storms, that distance was extensive.

"My brother must be worried sick, though… I left on poor terms between him and I and… and as much as I hated how he kept me sheltered and close to home, I miss him. He's the only family I have and now he has no clue where I am." Drake said, sadness crossing his face. I pitied Drake. I'd only ever had one sibling, an older sister, and she had left home just before I did.

"If you ever wish to go back to him, I can take you to Tonnare. There are ships that go back and forth from San Pietro to the mainland all the time. You'd be in Portoscuso in a short matter of days," Adam offered. He looked sincere about it, but I could see in his eyes the touch of sadness with such a suggestion. He wanted Drake to stay, that much was certain.

"I… I often think about it. But I like it here. You've been nothing but kind to me, Adam, and.. As much as I miss my brother, part of me believes that this separation will do us some good," Drake said, smiling warmly at the black haired man. I smiled at the two of them before taking another bite of my breakfast.

"Even though you two parted on poor terms?" I inquired after a moment and Drake glanced at me.

"Well.. I regret the circumstances of my leaving very much, but I can't change them now. And I doubt it will do much good if I go all the way back home just to make things right and then leave again. My brother's rather… overbearing and protective. He wouldn't let me go a second time so easily."

I nodded once. While my sister was never so protective of me, I'd known Adam to be that way towards his own little brother, Neil. It had nearly driven the younger Lambert to madness before he finally left.

The three of us finished eating with minimal conversation. Afterwards, Adam stood from the table, gathering up our dirty plates before taking them into the kitchen to be washed. I sat across from Drake, lazily drinking my water. There was a nag in the back of my mind that kept trying to place where I had seen Drake before. I'd spent many a weeks in Portoscuso and had become quite familiar with the town, but I could not recall ever seeing Drake there.

I tried to push the thought away. I'd met many people in my traveling life, and Drake was beautiful enough to be mistaken for the other rare beauties I had seen. Perhaps I had seen someone aboard the ship with similar eyes or the same style of hair. Maybe there had been a boy with likeness enough to Drake that they could have been cousins that I had seen. I wasn't sure.

"So, Tommy? Where are you from? You said, earlier, that you traveled a lot, but where do you originate?" Drake asked, leaning his cheek into his palm. I smiled softly, sitting back in my chair a little bit.

"I'm actually from Dublin. Main city in the lovely Ireland. When I was four, though, my mother, father, sister and I moved down to Rome in Italy, where I was raised until the age of eighteen. There, I learned to play and compose music as well as picking up fencing and sword fighting.

"Just after my birthday, my sister left to travel abroad in Africa and I left to venture through the rest of Europe until I was twenty. I came down through Sardegna for more exotic adventures and met Adam and his younger brother, Neil. They gave me a place to stay for a few nights and then I was off again, traveling through Africa as my sister had. I came back up to visit Adam as often as I could, seeing as he was the only friend who really stuck with me no matter where I went."

Drake smiled brightly at me for a moment before looking past, towards Adam. I could hear him humming softly to himself as he washed the dishes. "He certainly does leave a lasting impression, doesn't he?" Drake mused and I chuckled.

"He can, yes. In ways both good and bad," Drake raised an eyebrow at me. "Adam is naturally a sweet and charming individual, this is true. However he has his own…aggressive tendencies. In fact, one of the times I came through to visit him, we took the boat across to Tonnare to go into town, and we found a rather drunk individual harassing a young lady… I've never seen Adam snap so quickly and jump into a fight to save a stranger, but I can guarantee you this, it's both frightening and thrilling all the same." I smirked as Drake's face flushed, and I heard Adam laugh behind us.

"Now, Tommy, you're leaving out part of the story. That young lady happened to be a close friend of mine, and I wasn't about to see her handled by some foolish man with rum on his shirt," Adam said, taking his seat beside Drake again. I shrugged a shoulder and smiled softly.

"You never told me that you were a bit of a fighter," Drake pouted softly and Adam smiled a little, pressing a kiss to his hair.

"I didn't want to scare you away." I rolled my eyes, taking a drink of my water again.

"Oh, please, Adam. You're not scary at all." I snorted.

"Well, he has one thing right about you, Adam," I joked and Adam flipped me off.

"Hush, Tommy. You're hardly scary yourself." I chuckled softly, shaking my head a little, neither denying nor admitting.

"Perhaps he is and you just don't know it, Adam," Drake teased, throwing a warm smile at me. I rolled my eyes again, finishing off my water before standing from the table. I carried the glass to the sink, setting it inside before rummaging through the cabinets. It wasn't often that I searched for something stronger to drink after breakfast, but I knew Adam had a rather fabulous selection and I couldn't pass it up before leaving again.

"I doubt that, Drake. Tommy wouldn't so much as hurt a flea, let alone another person." Adam defended. I smirked softly, to myself, clenching the handles of the cabinet doors just a little harder. Oh, Adam…

"Perhaps. But you never know. Just because someone is small and vulnerable looking doesn't mean that they actually are. For all you know, they could be exceptionally strong and skilled in the ways of fighting. And you heard Tommy. He took up sword fighting when he was in Rome!"

"Drake, he only said that to scare you…" I laughed and turned to look at them.

"Did I now, Adam?" I questioned, grabbing a bottle of wine and three glasses. I carried them over to the table, setting them down on the wooden surface before popping the cork from the glass bottle. I poured Adam's drink first, setting it in front of him before pouring Drake a glass. Filling my own, I set the bottle down before taking my drink into hand, clutching the back of my chair in my free hand.

"So, Drake… I am curious. You mentioned your brother and where you lived, but I don't think you mentioned his name? Is it as enticing as yours is?" I teased, taking a drink of my wine. Drake blushed a little and shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. I wouldn't consider it..enticing, for either of us, but if you insist it to be so, then it is. And his name is Sauli—"

One moment I was listening, the next I was hearing something break. And it took a moment for me to realize that there was stabbing pain in my fingers and wine was dripping from them. I blinked once, glancing down and seeing the wine glass in fragments, swimming in a pool of red liquid on the floor. Lifting my gaze to my hand, I saw tiny shards stuck in my fingertips, red wine and blood dripping.

"Oh, my God, Tommy? Are you alright?" Adam asked, launching to his feet. I stared hard at Drake, expressionless. His eyes were wide and shocked, staring deeply back into mine. Sauli…

"Oh," I said after a moment as Adam toweled my hand clean gently. "Forgive me, I… The—the shellfish..that I had back in Caloforte.. it's left me with reoccurring muscle spasms and shakes. I'm terribly sorry," I said. The words were thick on my tongue, burning with what felt like acid. Drake's eyes never left my face as I stared through him.

Sauli…


	18. I Want to Love You

**Chapter Eighteen: I Want to Love You, But…  
>Drake's POV<strong>

Tommy had been acting rather strange since we finished breakfast and I really couldn't understand the change in his demeanor. He was all smiles and "let's get to know each other better" and then suddenly that changed. When he broke that glass, I was rather startled and he said it was just a reaction to some medicine that he was taking, but that sounded like a pretty weak cover up for something. I just couldn't really figure out what I had said…

Adam kept telling me that it wasn't anything I'd said, that Tommy was just a little antsy after all of his travels, but I wasn't entirely sure I believed that either. Being around Tommy was a little awkward at first, but I assumed that was because he walked in on his best friend snogging with some boy he didn't even know. Now it was even worse to be around him. The atmosphere was just too thick when I was with Tommy. It almost felt like I couldn't breathe when I was with him.

"So…" Tommy said from his armchair. We were all sitting in the social area right inside the front door. The view of the ocean was beautiful and I could barely take my eyes off of it. I loved being in Adam's house with him, but I missed the freedom of the ocean and I missed my tail. I wanted to swim, I yearned for it, but it'd have to wait for a while longer. "What should we do today?" he asked, looking over at us.

Adam and I were curled up on a very comfortable, elegant looking sofa. It was the same couch Adam had laid me down on when he found me on the beach. Tommy was sitting in a matching armchair that was set up adjacent to the sofa and opposite of another chair. We were facing a large bay window to look out at the scenery, but Tommy didn't seem to be very drawn to it. In fact, he looked rather bored and extremely restless.

"Well, honestly, you look like you're in desperate need of a bed. Why don't you go relax in the guest room for a while?" Adam suggested.

Tommy raised a brow at Adam. "Well if I'm taking the guest room, where will Drake sleep?" he asked, keeping his brow arched in question. Adam's arms tightened around me a little. I looked up at him to see that he was blushing which, in turn, caused me to blush a little. I wasn't ashamed that I'd been caught in his bed once or twice, but sharing that with a complete stranger was kind of embarrassing.

"Drake can stay in my room, with me," Adam answered quietly, pressing a gentle kiss into my hair.

"Something tells me he always stays with you?" Tommy inquired. "You… got over Eric pretty quickly…"

"Thomas," Adam said, a bit of a snap in his tone. "Don't talk about him, okay? I didn't think I was going to get over it but Drake is… Wonderful… And before you start, no, we haven't had sex. Drake's just slept in my bed a few nights…" Adam explained and I was so happy that he didn't mention out so close to sex it was practically sex with clothing on incident. Our sex lives weren't Tommy's business, at all.

Tommy held his hands up in a defensive position. "I'm just making an observation," he comments and Adam sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You need to go lay down. You look like you need to catch up on some rest," Adam said. "Besides, I need to go into town for some supplies and I was planning on taking Drake with me, unless he doesn't want to go."

"I'd love to," I said, almost too quickly. I really didn't want to be stuck in a house with Tommy all by myself. I knew I could defend myself if necessary, but there was something just not comforting about staying with the blonde by myself. I couldn't explain it, but I just didn't feel like Tommy and I would turn out to be great friends… I just hoped that didn't cause any issues with my and Adam.

"All right. I guess I'll go take a nap or something," Tommy said. "Wake me up when you guys get back. I'll make some of my world famous roast for dinner."

"World famous?" Adam asked with a snort of a laugh. "Are you kidding me? World famous? It takes more than two people to know of your cooking for it to be world famous." Tommy pouted and rolled his eyes, mumbling something about Adam being a jerk and Adam just laughed again, slowly standing up and holding his hand out to me. "May I?" he asked and I blushed, taking his hand so he could pull me up from the sofa.

Adam kept his hand in mine, his fingers lacing through mine and he mumbled about how we'd be back by dinnertime. It was only a little passed midday, so we had a pretty big gap. Part of me hoped this was just an excuse to spend more time alone with me, but I wasn't holding my breath. I knew that Adam and Tommy were good friends and Adam would want to spend some time with Tommy before he left for more of his work and play related adventures.

Tommy watched us grab our coats and a carrying bag for shopping and the way he stared at us—me—was really kind of creepy, but I tried my best to ignore it. Maybe I was just blowing all of this out of proportion, but being around him was so… uncomfortable. Maybe I should trust my gut instincts about him, but I didn't want to upset Adam, so I just told myself I was being stupid about this whole situation. There was no reason I shouldn't be friendly to Tommy if he was going to be friendly to me.

We left without too much in the way of goodbyes. Adam called "see you later, Tommy" and we were out the door, coats and all. "So… we're taking a boat?" I asked but I was a little confused on how we got to the boat. The island, while not really inhabited, was pretty vast and I didn't have a problem with walking, but I felt like that would take a long time and Adam did promise that we would be back by dinner. "How are we going to get there?"

Adam grinned at me and led me around to the rear of his mansion-like home. "We're going to ride," he said, squeezing my hand a little harder. He lead me to a separate building that was a few meters off of his house and I followed him still confused, but curious all the same.

"Ride what…?" I asked and Adam just grinned, pushing open the wide door placed on the front of the small building. The interior wasn't very pleasant. It was only dirt and hay thrown about, with a few stalls set up along the back wall. I didn't really understand. All I knew was the interior of the building smelled horrible.

"Grace," he called and out of the last stall a large, beautiful horse came from behind the wooden wall, walking slowly towards us. She must have been a little leery of me, because she'd never seen me before and she was approaching us cautiously. "She's my horse. I've had her for years," Adam told me and he held his free hand out to the massive animal, who slowly walked over to us, tapping her nose underneath Adam's waiting hand. "She always takes me to the dock and then she rides with me on the boat to town. She never lets me down."

"I…" I said, but I couldn't grasp the words immediately. I couldn't deny that the horse was majestic and beautiful but riding _on_ it? No, I didn't think I wanted to get on the horse's back. It was huge and it was dangerous and I liked my feet on the ground when I was on land. I didn't really want to trust an animal that may not even like me with my safety.

Without truly realizing it, I took a step back, biting my lip gently. Adam frowned and turned to me. "What's the matter, baby?" he asked, looking concerned and worried. I just shook my head a little.

"I don't think I can really… I mean… She's beautiful but I've never been on a horse before… I don't really know if I'd… I don't know," I said quietly, looking away from Adam. I was slowly beginning to make myself look like a child to him. It started with that stupid storm that scared the shit out of me and sent me crawling to Adam's bed because I didn't want to be alone. Now I was afraid of a stupid horse? God, I was such a git…

"Baby, there's nothing to be afraid of," he said quietly. "I'll be with you the entire time, okay? You don't have to be afraid of Grace. She's gentle and I'm sure she's going to love you. She's a pretty good judge of character. She wouldn't even come towards Eric, which should have tipped me off. She came over to you… There's nothing to be scared of, okay?"

He took my hands gently and led me over to Grace, holding my hand up in the air like he had done a few minutes earlier. I bit my lip, holding my hand still and she nudged her nose under my hand after hesitating for a moment. I pet her gently and she seemed to relax, as if already accepting that she liked me, but I was still a little leery about riding her.

Adam left my side after I relaxed and he started preparing her for riding. He saddled her up, so to speak and then came back to me, putting his arms around me. "You ready?" he asked into my ear. "You don't have to go if you don't want to…" Well, I was still scared of riding this huge horse, but I didn't want to stay with Tommy alone.

"I want to go…" I said quietly and he smiled, lifting me up off of my feet as easily as he lifted his dinner plate. It amazed me that a human could be so strong and he just kissed my neck gently, setting me up onto Grace's saddle. After a moment, he hopped up behind me, his arms snaking around my waist. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to ride a horse, if it meant I got to be this close to Adam.

"I'll be holding you the whole time, alright?" he whispered into my ear, kissing my neck gently. "Nothing to be afraid of." I leaned back into him, smiling softly at him. "I'll keep it slow paced for you though, all right?" I purred softly in response and he just chuckled, snapping the reigns gently to make Grace go. Soon we were riding across the sandy terrains at a smooth, walking pace.

"So… what makes you purr?" Adam asked and I just blushed a little, looking out at the ocean instead of looking back at him.

"I dunno… I do it when I'm happy," I said quietly and he nuzzled my neck gently, smiling into my skin.

"I think I really like it," he mumbled quietly and I blushed a little more, smiling softly.

"Yeah?" I asked and he nodded, kissing my neck again. I moaned quietly, closing my eyes for a moment and leaning back into his hold. When I opened my eyes, I saw something, or should I say, someone I didn't expect to see.

Bobbing in the water a little off shore was Sauli, staring at Adam and me. I was shocked to see him there, but I was also not surprised all at the same time. Seeing him made me feel a little… guilty for running away after that fight and never going back and for, no doubt, worrying him, but I didn't want to just leave Adam. I was happy with him…

_I'm sorry Sauli, but I can't…_ I knew my expression showed that.


	19. All My Sadness, Taken By The Sea

**Chapter Nineteen: All My Sadness, Taken By The Sea**

**Adam's POV**

Holding Drake close to my chest, I followed the direction of his gaze out to the shore as we trotted along on top of Grace. Waves overlapped one another, frothy mist and foam spraying about and rolling over itself. I resting my head against the back of Drake's before pressing a kiss to his hair. "What are you looking at, love?" I asked him. Drake turned his head away from the water.

"Nothing. Just watching the ocean, that's all," he said quietly and I frowned a little, tightening my arm around him and snapping the reigns gently. Grace trotted a little faster, but still kept to a leisurely stroll.

"You miss your home and your brother, don't you?" I asked him quietly, feeling Drake's body slump somewhat against mine. He sighed heavily, resting his head on my shoulder, letting me tuck my chin against his shoulder. There was a long silence between Drake and I, leaving the only sounds to be our breathing, the waves and Grace's hooves thumping softly into the sand.

"I do. More and more every day. But..I can't go home to him, yet. I'm not ready to," Drake explained quietly. I nodded once, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as Grace trotted along.

"But you will, one day, won't you? I'm sure he misses you just as much and would like to see you again?" I inquired, feeling my stomach twist. I didn't want to think about the inevitable day where I would have to say goodbye to Drake, even if only for a little while. He had become such a huge impact upon my life, changing everything and making it better. I didn't want to let him go. At least… not yet.

"One day, yes. But that day is not today, and I doubt it'll before a real long time."

"Why is that?" I asked. It was natural curiosity and intrigue that drove me to speak, but I knew deep down that I would have been content as well to not have asked at all.

"Because I like it here with you. You've been nothing but wonderfully kind to me, and I want to get to know you more. I… As strange as I am going to sound, I feel like I belong here with you…" Drake's voice was soft and tender, sweetness underlying the tone of compassion. I felt my heart skip a beat as a stupid grin stretched across my lips.

"Well, that's a relief, to be honest," I said with a soft laugh. "I like having you here, Drake." I told him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Drake smile, glancing over his shoulder at me before leaning back into me, sighing softly.

The ride continued on in silence for about another twenty minutes until we reached a small port with a ferryboat coming in to dock. There weren't very many passengers boarding or leaving, so it was easy to see that it would be a rather private ride to town. I helped Drake slide easily off of Grace before climbing down and tying her to a post. I ran my fingers through her mane, pressing kiss to her jaw before pulling away.

I tucked Drake close to my side, nodding once to the captain of the ferryboat before climbing up onto the deck, walking with Drake to the bow of the ship. He pressed himself close to the railing and I stood beside him, my arm looped around his waist. Drake leaned against me for a long while, watching the waters beneath the ship as we set sail across the two mile stretch of sea between Villamarina and Tonnare.

I rested my head against his, watching the waters as well as Drake hummed quietly beside me. I let my eyes drift shut slowly, feeling the rhythm of the waves and listening to Drake's gentle singing. I tightened my arm around him slowly, relaxing at the sound of his voice. Hums and gentle breaths became sweet words and melody, and I felt myself drawn to the song and his voice. The words were familiar and his high tenor range was so pure…

It felt as if I'd heard him sing before, but I could not recall an instance in our time together where I had heard him… I bit down on my lip, thinking hard before remembering a moment of sunset and Drake on a rock. The waters had been warm that day and Drake looked so beautiful with the glow of sunlight behind him.

Pulling away slowly, I opened my eyes to look down at Drake. He smiled up at me, giggling quietly. "What?" I asked, caressing his cheek gently. He shook his head and leaned into my touch, purring quietly.

"Nothing," he murmured gently, pressing a kiss to my finger tips before looking back out at the sea. I watched his gaze for a long while, seeing the reflection of the waves in his crystal blue irises. His eyelids drooped gently in that look of longing and I felt another twist of my heart. I couldn't begin to imagine the homesickness he must have been feeling. I'd never really ventured far from my own home before, even when visiting friends. My closest and furthest friends were in Tonnare, or they were people like Tommy who traveled often.

It took about twenty minutes to sail across the stretch of waters, and Tonnare came into view. The land itself was rather flat with a few small hills in the distance. The port was loaded with boats and citizens, dressed in arrays of color and design. The boat docked and Drake and I slipped off with another nod to the captain. We'd have about an hour or two before he would set sail back to Villamarina.

Taking a hold of Drake's hand, I led him through the vast expanse of drunks and ladies. I kept him close to my side at all times, watching everyone else around me with a suspicious gleam. Tonnare might have been home to a lot of my friends, but it wasn't a very friendly place. There were often a lot of people about who would snatch away a beautiful man or woman just as easily as a thief would snatch a purse. I couldn't take any chances.

Drake seemed to notice my unease though as we entered the outer edges of town, and he squeezed my hand gently. "Adam? What's wrong? You seem really tense…" he trailed off and I nodded once, licking my lips a little.

"I have to be. Tonnare is the only port and town for damn near a hundred miles all around, and it's definitely got its load of…troubled people," I mentioned, my lips pressed to his ear. We hadn't even walked one hundred feet into town and I was already seeing lusty glances from burly, bearded and fat drunk men. I could only guess that Drake noticed at least a few of them too, for he pressed even closer to me.

"Are they all like this?" He questioned just as softly, squeezing my hand.

"Most of them. It's generally the ones dressed in rather grimy, baggy clothes. They don't shave and they smell horrendous, too. They're the ones who linger around the pubs and brothels. The men dressed nice, clean cut are often respectable and aren't interested in other boys," I smirked softly, kissing Drake's hair. He blushed.

"And then there's you," he teased, and I laughed.

"And then there's me."

We walked further into town, passing pubs, shops, a bakery, a blacksmith, a tailor and an art merchant or two. There were people pressed tight and close to one another, forming a massive mob from one side of the street to the other. Women in fancy dresses, whores in corsets and frilly skirts; gentlemen in suits and canes and thieves in rags and grease. It was a mix of cultures with pale faces and deep eyes.

I turned a corner with Drake on my hip, taking him inside a two story shop and apartment that belonged to a close friend of mine. The floors were a deep hardwood and the walls were stone, a few windows set here and there. A long counter stretched from the south wall to just before the north wall, a the west wall loaded with books and trinkets behind it. There were a few other bookshelves and crates of items, and a stair case along the east wall that led up to the apartment.

There was a man stationed behind the counter, pushing money into a small chest beneath the countertop. He lifted his gaze to meet mine and a grin spread itself across his lips and he flashed white teeth at me. I smiled back at him, loosening Drake from my side before feeling him pull away entirely. He stayed with me, though, which I was thankful for.

"Adam! By God, it's been a while since you were last in here," the man called to me, his scruffy hair sticking up in odd angles around his face. I chuckled, pushing my fingers through my hair a little as I neared the wooden counter.

"Yeah, I know, Monte, I know. I've been… all over the place lately, actually," I told him, leaning against the counter. Monte gave me a puzzled look but I just shook my head as Drake came to my side. The moment Monte looked at him, I knew he'd forgotten all about my comment.

"And who is this?" He inquired and I smiled bashfully, tucking my arm around Drake's waist. He nestled close to me, his hair falling in curtains around his cheeks.

"This is Drake. Popped up on shore a few weeks ago," I told him, deciding to keep his story on the down low. Monte could be a bit of a chatterbox and I didn't need his wife pestering me for constant details. She was like a mother hen a lot of the time, especially towards me.

"Ah. Your newest love interest?" He mused, and I looked away. "What of Eric?"

I froze, biting my lip gently. "He's… Not important anymore." I said sharply after a moment's hesitation. Monte frowned briefly but a quick glance from me forced a nod from his head and he turned his attention to Drake.

"So, where are you from, son?" Drake told him, and Monte nodded once. "I've been up there a few times myself. It's a beautiful place."

I chuckled, turning my head towards Drake, pressing a kiss to his hair. "Go take a look around. If you find something that you like, bring it on up and I'll get it for you," Drake's cheeks flamed and he started to shake it head, but I hushed him with a gentle kiss. "Go, baby. I've got it." He left with a reddened face and excited eyes, and I refocused my attention on my old friend.

"He's quite the catch," Monte said with a warm smile and I laughed a little. "I was beginning to worry about you, actually. You didn't come in much after meeting Eric and then this last month I didn't see you once. I thought you'd either forgotten or just, I don't know, died or something." I sighed heavily.

"I hadn't forgotten. I take it the girls miss me?" I'd tutored Monte's twin daughters since they couldn't afford regular schooling. Monte laughed heartily and nodded once.

"So does the wife, but that's only because you love fattening yourself on her cooking. But, seriously, what happened with Eric?" I bit my lip, looking away.

"I walked in on him cheating on me, and he only kicked me down further by saying he only used me for sex, and that he was bored with me. I spent a good two to three weeks alone and…" I shivered a little and Monte frowned.

"And?" I let out a breath.

"And I attempted to throw myself from a boat," from my peripheral I watched his eyes widen as his face paled. "Something, or someone, saved me. I'm not sure. All I know is that I woke up in the middle of the night with a storm raging around me. I went home and slept my half-drunken craze off, got up and found Drake on the shore."

"Dear God…" Monte whispered softly, staring intently at me. I didn't look at him. "You know… my wife told you that boy was no good. She told you she'd seen him sleazing around the pubs, but you didn't listen…" I waved him off.

"Yes, yes, I know. You don't need to keep telling me," I teased, looking up at him. "But do you have it?" I asked, and Monte grinned.

"I've been wondering when you would ask. And I do. It just shipped in about a week ago. I wasn't sure if you would remember it or not," I shook my head.

"I haven't forgotten. Just been preoccupied with giving Drake a place to stay and getting to know him. Tommy came in and is staying with us right now, too. It's nice to have people in my home again," I told him and Monte nodded once.

"Funny, I used to say the same thing when you'd come by," I rolled my eyes as he ducked under the counter, pulling up a brown-paper covered box and handed it to me. I took it and slipped it into the bag that was slung over my shoulder before Drake could see it.

"Hush," I hissed playfully as Drake walked up, clutching a leather bound book in his hand. Judging by the quality of it, it looked like a sketch book. I took it and paid for it, slipping it into the bag next to the box before bidding Monte goodbye, and leaving with him.


End file.
